


Through Stained Glass

by ironspidereilish



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: (eventually) - Freeform, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Tony Stark, Blackmail, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Summaries, Insecure Peter Parker, Kidnapped Peter Parker, Kidnapping, M/M, May and Tony friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Parent-Child Relationship, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Post-Endgame, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Tony Stark, Superfamily, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Nightmares, Uncle Bucky Barnes, a big heart :)), bucky gives the best advice, ross is a terrible evil person that i hate a LOT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:48:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23631130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironspidereilish/pseuds/ironspidereilish
Summary: “Oh,” the teen murmured, lost for words.Tony shrugged, feeling uncharacteristically embarrassed. “I’ve gotta keep you safe, kid. That’s always my number one priority.”A beat of silence passed.“I came to the tower to get the password,” Peter said, out of the blue, his voice cracking. “I was going to give it to him.” Tony turned to face him, gingerly placing a fingertip under the boy’s chin to guide him into making eye contact.“I would have done the same,” the older hero said, his voice that special kind of gentle that only Peter could elicit. “And I don’t blame you for thinking about it, bud. It’s an impossible situation that Ross has put you in, and that was exactly the point. But we're going to fix this. Together.""Promise?" Peter asked, so softly that Tony felt his heart break.——————The lengths to which Tony Stark would go to get his kid back, and how he learns what exactly Peter means to him.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Peter Parker, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, May Parker & Peter Parker, May Parker & Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 30
Kudos: 254





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> firstly, i hope you're all staying safe and that you and your loved ones are doing okay!  
> secondly, i wrote this because my uni is closed until september because of the virus and i don't want to revise for my exams, so i started writing this fic instead :))))  
> thirdly, thank you for ignoring my terrible summary and clicking on this fic anyway <3  
> lastly, this is definitely going to be my longest fic for this fandom, but i'll be posting a new chapter every monday!  
> hope u enjoy <333

Mr Stark had texted him asking whether he was still free the next day to run maintenance on the Iron Spider suit, and the teen hadn’t hesitated before replying with an enthusiastic yes, lots of exclamation marks, and maybe just a few too many emojis. May was working a night shift that night, so Peter knew he was free to swing over to the tower after doing his homework and saying goodbye to her. He could work with Mr Stark in the labs for a few hours and then they’d order takeout and watch a movie. Peter still marvelled at what a close relationship he had with his childhood hero; a bond so strong that even Thanos hadn’t managed to break it apart. 

The only thing that _had_ changed was the steady whirring of Tony’s prosthetic arm that accompanied them now- evidence of his sacrifice to save the world. Peter shook his head to clear it of thoughts of what more could have been sacrificed when the hero had snapped his fingers to reverse the Snap’s devastation. He focused his mind on the updates he’d been drafting at lunch with Ned and MJ, thinking of ways he could put his ideas into action.

That was the reason it had taken him a few seconds to pay attention to the tingle of his spider sense, and look up and register the scene before him.

Their apartment had been upended, all the chairs and tables were thrown haphazardly onto their sides, cabinet doors hanging off of hinges and cupboards’ insides littered across the faded carpet. His heart rate quickened as his spider sense spiked and he ran towards May’s bedroom.

“May!” he called as he threw open her door. The chaos from the kitchen and living room had continued into her bedroom: duvet thrown off the bed, wardrobe doors splintered, and clothes chucked carelessly onto the floor. “May are you here?”

When no answer followed, he grew desperate and ran to his room. In his heart, he knew there was no reason for her to have been in his room, but the pure fear racing through his veins dominated it. As expected, his room was void of May, but full of sheets and clothes and broken furniture all over the small floor space. 

His heart dropped when he saw that the glass container he used to store the Iron Spider suit in when it was charging had been smashed to shards on one of the panels.

He fell to his knees when he realised that the suit was missing. _Taken._

Someone knew his identity.

 _Someone now knew that Peter Parker was Spider-man. Someone, more importantly, now knew that May Parker was_ Spider-man’s _family._

Spidey sense overwhelming him, he returned to the living room to call Mr Stark and ask him for help. Before he’d even unlocked his phone, he saw a sheet of paper stuck to the wall opposite him with an arrow, something scribbled on it. Suddenly overcome by the irrational need to read what it said, he stepped around shattered glass on the floor so he was closer to it.

_I have May and I have your suit._

_I will be in touch shortly._

_Tell anyone and she will pay the price._

_TR._

The room started spinning as Peter struggled to draw in a breath from amongst his panic- he flattened one hand against the wall, letting its coldness ground him as he held the letter against his chest, as if worried that harming the paper would result in harm to May.

The teen took a few deep breaths, waiting for the room to stop its incessant attempt at making him dizzy, before he thought about what he would do next.

Mind clouded with solutions, but all of them involving having to tell someone and risk the crazy ‘TR’ person hurting May, he settled on ringing her just in case this was a trick.

The dial tone ran once before May’s cheery voicemail message was speaking to him. 

“Um, hey May,” he said shakily, “Please can you call me as soon as you get this? I-I think something’s happened, and I don’t . . . I don’t know what to do. But I’m gonna fix this, May, I promise. I’m sorry you’ve got caught up in this, it’s- it’s all my fault and I n-never wanted this to happen, but I’m sorry a-and I love you. And I’m gonna make this right. I’ll-”

 _Beep_.

The voicemail cut him off, and he clenched his jaw so tightly against the lump he felt in his throat that his teeth ground together. Tears gathered in his eyes, and the living room started swimming beneath his vision. 

A few moments later, his ringtone sounded. With the unnatural silence in the apartment, the sudden noise made Peter jump, and the letter fluttered to the floor as he sat heavily beside it, his back against the wall and his chin tilted upwards. To an outsider, it would look as though he were looking to God for answers. 

The number wasn’t one that Peter recognised, but he answered anyway, not saying anything as he waited for the caller to speak first. With his enhanced hearing, he could hear the person on the phone breathing evenly, no tell-tale signs of nervousness or anxiety.

“Mr Parker, I believe I have something of yours,” a deep, confident voice said. 

“Who are you and what do you want?” Peter asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

“You are in no position to be asking questions, _Spider-man,_ but I will answer one of your questions. You work closely with Stark, I have your aunt safely secured here with me, and Stark has information I need. Can you see where this all overlaps?”

Peter _could_ see how it overlapped, and he hated it.

“Yes,” he answered, his voice cracking on the word. “But how do I know you really have my aunt? And that she’s okay?”

The man chuckled, and the teen suppressed a shiver.

“I had heard you were intelligent, Mr Parker. I’ll put you on speaker.”

“Peter, honey? Are you safe?” His aunt’s voice broke through, strong and unwavering as always. A sob escaped Peter at the sound of her voice.

“ _May,”_ he whispered, like a prayer, “I’m fine. Are you hurt? Have they done anything to you?”

A short pause preceded her response, still long enough for Peter to know that she was formulating a lie.

“Don’t worry about me, sweetheart, I’m okay. I don’t know what they want you to do, but I’m not worth you getting hurt. Promise me you’ll put yourself first, Peter- I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you.”

“You know I can’t promise you that, aunt May. I _have_ to fix this.”

“I’m serious, Peter. Keep yourself safe, and Tony can-”

Her voice cut off, and the young hero couldn’t quite stifle his sob in time before the man’s voice was speaking again.

“That’s enough for now, I think. Get me the password to Stark’s private server by midnight, or I won’t be able to guarantee your aunt’s wellbeing for much longer. Call this number when you have the information, and I’ll _know_ if you’ve told anyone, Spider-man- my team are monitoring Stark’s A.I. Anything you tell him, we’ll hear. I expect to hear from you soon.”

The call ended before the teen could say anything. 

He fisted his hands uselessly in the pocket of his hoodie nervously. He couldn’t betray Tony, and he knew that the billionaire’s private files didn’t store anything about his designs or SI; they were purely the files the genius kept for his own piece of mind. His photo albums were stored on there, alongside the contact information for the Avengers, and anything his Avenger friends had wanted kept out of the government’s hands. Giving the password to the man that had his aunt would be like giving away all of Mr Stark and the Avenger’s greatest secrets. Villains would know where to find Hawkeye and Falcon’s families, the current locations of the Avengers, and all of Tony’s photos, files, and schematics. 

He _couldn’t_. But for May, he’d have to.

The thought of how deeply this betrayal would hurt Tony caused the tears in his eyes to spill, tracking idly down his cheek before dripping onto the trashed floor of their once homely apartment. 

Peter grabbed the backup webshooters he kept under the sink for emergencies (which he was now insanely grateful he’d had the foresight to do), his old Spider-man mask and goggles, and took off in the direction of the tower. 

————

Peter landed lightly on the balcony of the 85th floor of the SI tower, tapping his personal code into the keypad next to the balcony door. The keypad flashed green and the doors swung open to let the teen inside. 

Shame coiled around his stomach like a poison and the hero steeled himself before glancing up at the ceiling to speak to FRIDAY

“Is Mr Stark here?” he asked the A.I, quietly.

“Boss is currently working with his staff in the R&D lab on the 32nd floor. Would you like me to alert him that you’re here?” 

“No, um, that’s ok. Thank you.” His palms were clammy as he thought of the man with his aunt listening in on the Avengers through FRIDAY.

“Of course, Spider-baby,” she answered dryly, and despite the situation Peter smiled at the address term Tony had programmed his AI to call him. 

He walked over to the lift, sighing resignedly as he pressed the button for Tony’s personal lab. His stomach dropped alongside the lift, until the doors pinged and reopened to the lobby of the lab. 

Peter ignored the tremor in his hands as he keyed in the password for Tony’s private lab. 

The young hero gingerly stepped inside, as though stepping too loudly would violate the tenuous agreement between himself and TR. Despite FRIDAY having already told him that Tony wasn’t in the lab, he still felt a small drop of relief at being able to carry out his massive betrayal without having to sneak around in Tony’s presence.

He sat at the fancy chair in front of the main computer for the lab, taking a deep breath as he took in the sight of the password box.

“FRIDAY?” he began, already formulating an excuse, “what’s the password?”

“I’m afraid I cannot give you the answer without Boss’s permission. Would you like me to ask him for you?”

“No!” Peter exclaimed, before repeating himself in a more natural manner. “No, um, it’s okay FRI.”

The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up, and the teen jumped to his feet as he assessed his surroundings as quickly as he could through his panicked haze. But there was nothing there. He blinked a few times to ensure his vision was clear, but he still couldn’t detect the danger his body was indicating.

“It appears you are in luck, Spider-baby,” FRIDAY said, breaking the uneasy silence. “Boss is on his way to the lab now, so you will be able to acquire the password from him in person if he gives you permission.”

Peter’s heart pounded dangerously loudly in his chest, and he stumbled over to the sofa in the corner of the lab, collapsing onto it. What reason could he give Tony as an excuse for needing his most protected password, though? Was it worth telling his father-figure the truth at the risk of TR’s men hearing him through their monitoring of FRIDAY and May being hurt as punishment?

The doors to the lab opened, and between one blink and the next, Tony Stark was hurrying over to Peter’s side, kneeling next to the sofa as his face paled.

“What’s going on, kiddo- did you get hurt on patrol? Do I need to call Bruce or Helen?” The questions fell from him, unbidden, as he took in the young hero’s pallor and shaking body.

“M’fine,” Peter said, pushing himself up from the sofa as though that would prove that there was nothing wrong. He got to his feet at the same time as Tony, before the older man pulled him into a loose hug. “Don’t call anyone.”

“Christ, kid, you scared the shit outta me,” the older man muttered as he pulled away, ruffling Peter’s hair affectionately. It wasn’t until that moment that he registered what the teen was wearing.

“What’s up with the pajamas and goggles being back?” he asked, chuckling. “You feeling too cool for the Iron Spider suit?”

Peter’s eyes widened, realising that he had no plausible excuse for being in his suit – _the wrong suit, at that_ \- in broad daylight.

“The, er, the charging unit stopped working this morning. I’m gonna, um, fix it later,” he stammered. He kicked himself for being so terrible at lying. How could he have kept his identity a secret from everyone expect the Avengers, May, Ned and MJ, but he still couldn’t tell a convincing lie?

“Oh yeah?” the mechanic said, in a tone of voice that very strongly suggested he wasn’t buying this excuse for a second. He pulled a stool out at one of the lab’s work counters, tapping it for the teen to sit down. The older man sat down opposite him, his face serious in a way that Peter hadn’t seen for a very long time. He noticed the faint crinkle between his eyebrows, giving away Tony’s worry, and guilt surged through him with a burning heat.

“Pete, you know you can tell me anything, don’t you? I’m always here if you need me, kid, don’t ever doubt that,” he said, sincerely.

Peter ducked his head with shame. “I know,” he said quietly. “But this is something I have to do myself.”

His heartbeat steadied somewhat as a resolution hit him with sudden, blinding clarity. He hopped down from the stool, racing over to the main desk and grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, jumping back onto the stool a split second later. He scribbled away, all the while prattling on about the suit upgrades he’d discussed with Ned and MJ earlier, so to anyone monitoring FRIDAY’s audio it would just sound like Peter had been successful in deflecting Tony’s suspicion. When he’d finished writing, he looked up to meet the bewildered look on Tony’s face. The teen held a finger up to his lips as he handed the note to Tony, hoping that the older man would understand that he couldn’t mention anything going on out loud. The mechanic nodded once before he started reading the note in his hands; while he was reading, he listed possible materials they would need for the upgrades, absentmindedly. He was clearly following Peter’ lead of speaking out loud to convey a normal conversation to anyone listening.

_When I got home someone had trashed our apartment and taken May. They left a note saying I had to give them your private server password or they’ll hurt her. The note was signed TR (do you know who that is??), and the voice on the phone was definitely a man. I spoke to May and I think she’s ok for now. I don’t know what to do. TR wants the password tonight. HE’S MONITORRING FRIDAY’S AUDIO. Is there somewhere we can go where she can’t hear us? I don’t know what to do._

As he neared the end of the note, the worry crease between his eyebrows had deepened and he met Peter’s eye with concern radiating from his eyes. Peter’s own filled with tears as he realised that although he finally had Tony to help him figure out what to do, one wrong word would have the people monitoring FRIDAY telling TR that Peter had broken their agreement.

“I think I’ve got a migraine coming from looking at those damn R&D screens all day, you mind if we go up to the balcony for some air, Pete?” Tony asked, as he pulled out his phone from his pocket and left it on the counter. His Stark watch followed the phone onto the counter and Peter followed his example, placing his Stark phone onto the counter. The pair walked upstairs to the elevator, a minute later they were nearing the edge of Tony’s private balcony.

As soon as the mechanic deemed them far away enough from the lounge to be safe, he was pulling Peter into a tight hug, the teen grasping the older man’s shirt tightly in his hands as he sobbed into the man’s chest. Tony ran his hands in reassuring circles on the boy’s back.

“Christ, Pete, I’m so sorry you’ve got to go through this. But we’re going to make it through this, okay?”

“Do you promise?” Peter hiccupped, as tears continued falling. “I c-can’t lose her, Mr Stark. I just can’t.”

“You won’t lose her, kiddo. I promise.”

Peter burrowed his head further into Tony’s chest, and the mechanic gave him a few more minutes of having a safe place to cry before he acknowledged that they needed to be getting to work.

“Hey, Pete,” he said, gently letting the boy go. “I think it’s time we figured out what we’re gonna do.”

The teen nodded, wiping his nose on the back of his old suit’s sleeves. They sat next to each other on the floor of the balcony, leaning against the railing and looking out over their city.

“You have to give him the password,” Tony said, his voice grim. “I’m not risking your aunt by giving him passwords to a backup server.”

The young hero’s shoulders hunched as he realised, he’d been right all along- he really would have to betray the team’s privacy.

“But what about all the files? Clint and Sam’s families are on there!”

“I’ll move them,” the mechanic answered, simply. “I’ll move the files with manual transmission so that anybody that’s partially hacked into FRIDAY can’t trace them. It’ll take time, but you said this guy’s given you until the end of today, right?”

Peter nodded again.

“Then we’ll be fine,” Tony said, trying to inject as much confidence into his voice as possible. He knew that Peter needed him to be strong and collected, but the truth was that he had no idea if he could move all the essential files in time.

“But some files will still be on there?” Peter asked.

“We don’t have any choice, kiddo. This TR guy will know that we’ve hidden files if the password just uncovers loads of info that was already public. I’ll keep schematics for the Widow’s bites, Cap’s electromagnetic tech for bringing the shield back, Falcon’s Redwing, and my second most recent Iron Man suit. If I omit all the materials then even if that all goes public, it would be impossible to replicate. I’ll remove all the addresses, though. I can’t risk the safety of any of the team’s families. I have a few files about Asgard on there that are fine to leave, it’s not like anyone reading the files can get to Asgard anyway. And it’s not too far fetched that I wouldn’t keep any contact info online- FRIDAY is my main source of communication,” Tony said, more due to thinking out loud than because he was filling Peter in.

“Keep all the Spider-man stuff on there,” Peter said. “It’s my fault we’re in this situation, and I just want everyone else to be safe.”

“I can’t do that, kiddo,” Tony said, and Peter felt a flash of anger course through him.

“I got us into this mess! You can’t keep schematics for everyone else on there but not mine, this is _my fault_!”

“I can’t keep your schematics on there, Pete,” the mechanic began, “because I never kept any of your information on my main server. I made a completely separate system for you, in case anything like this ever happened. Nobody knows about it except me- and you now, too.”

“Oh,” the teen murmured, lost for words.

Tony shrugged, feeling uncharacteristically embarrassed. “I’ve gotta keep you safe, kid. That’s always my number one priority.”

A beat of silence passed. 

“I came to the tower to get the password,” Peter said, out of the blue, his voice cracking. “I was going to give it to him.” Tony turned to face him, gently placing a fingertip under the boy’s chin to guide him into making eye contact. When the mechanic was certain that the teen was paying attention, he finally responded. 

“I would have done the same,” the older hero said, his voice soft. “And I don’t blame you for thinking about it, bud. It’s an impossible situation that he put you in, and that was exactly the point. I won’t lie- I’m grateful that you told me before you could give him the password, so I can protect the team as much as I can, but there is not one person who wouldn’t gladly give up whatever’s on the server so that you can protect your aunt.”

“Really?” he asked, his expressive brown eyes wide.

“Of course, kid. They know how much I . . . care about you.”

Peter exhaled shakily, as if a great weight had been lifted. It wasn’t the first time that his father-figure had said that he cared about him, but he still couldn’t quite comprehend the magnitude of what it meant that _the Tony Stark_ was telling someone that he cared. Tony still found it difficult to discuss feelings, but he was slowly learning just how insecure Peter was- and that he needed reminders that he was welcome and wanted. 

Tony coughed conspicuously, and Peter couldn’t suppress his smile. That was a clear indication to change the topic. 

“Do you know who TR is?” the teen asked. 

“I have my suspicions,” Tony replied, ambiguously. Something dark flickered over the mechanic’s face like a shadow before he managed to clear it, but Peter picked up on it. 

“Who do you think it is? And why would they want access to your private server?”

“If it’s who I think it is, then he’ll do anything to get dirt on the Avengers. His goal is to get us under the government’s control. If he could find something that shows that we’re irresponsible, or working on someone’s payroll then he could use it to show that we can’t be an independent group.”

“ _Ross_?” Peter asked, connecting the motive with a person. “You think Ross hired this TR person?”

Tony looked at him like he’d grown a second head. 

“Kid, I think Ross _is_ TR. If the guy didn’t lie about his initials on the note he left you, I’d bet my billions that it’s him.”

“What’s the T stand for? Is Ross his nickname?”

The mechanic couldn’t quite contain a snort of laughter this time. 

“His name’s Thaddeus Ross. You seriously didn’t know that Ross is his last name?” He asked, a small smile on his lips despite the situation. 

“Oh my God!” Peter cried. “You only ever call him Ross, I just guessed it was his first name!”

Tony just shook his head fondly. 

Just as a smile was about to grace the teen’s features, he sobered. “Ross has May then?” Peter asked, his voice small. 

“I can’t say for sure, but that would be my best guess,” he answered, deciding it would do no good to lie to the kid. “Let’s go and sort these files out then, yeah?”

The boy nodded, and Tony threw his flesh arm over his shoulder as they walked back inside. The pair stayed mindful of FRIDAY and the potential hackers as they made their way back downstairs to the lab. Tony started a conversation with Peter about hypothetical updates for the Iron Spider suit as he pulled up the private server files and began manually transferring them to a backup server, all the while he and Peter moved tools about and worked on irrelevant projects to keep up the sounds of an average lab session. The older hero couldn’t help but notice the teen’s leg bouncing anxiously as he watched the file transfers out the corner of his eye, the rest of his attention on fixing the main circuit board that KAREN would be wired into for a new suit, ensuring that he used an exaggerated amount of noise to through off any listeners.

Three hours passed in this same fashion, both of them trying their hardest to keep up idle chitchat as they watched the files, one by one, be deciphered and then recoded as they made their way to the second server. When Tony flashed him a quick thumbs up, the relief Peter felt was almost enough to bring him to his knees.

“Time for a work break, kiddo. You wanna grab some snacks and we can go sit out on the balcony to eat?” Tony asked, and Peter responded with the affirmative and then raced upstairs to the kitchen; his loss of an appetite earlier had come back full-force, and his stomach was tight with hunger. As he neared the kitchen, his enhanced hearing picked up the soft humming of Captain America over the fiery sizzle of oil in saucepan. Peter entered and greeted the Captain with a small nod and quiet hello. It had been months since Steve and Tony had agreed to put Siberia behind them- and even longer since the events of Siberia actually took place. Peter had taken a little longer to accept Steve’s apology to Tony, but was now completely comfortable around the super-soldier.

“Hello, Peter. What brings you to the Tower today? I didn’t know it was lab night,” the man asked, unknowing of the entire situation.

Peter busied himself grabbing the plate of sandwiches from the fridge and some coke from the fridge as he considered the best way to alert him. “Tony had a few ideas for my suit upgrades, and asked me to come round tonight instead of tomorrow,” he said, knowing that Steve would pick up on the lie. Tony was adamant that Peter should have a good balance between his school work, his hero work, his lab work, and his free time. He would never interrupt the schedule that he had helped May put together for the teen- not for something as routine as suit upgrades. Sure enough, the super-soldier glanced up from the saucepan with a quizzical look on his face. Peter quickly shook his head, pointing up at the ceiling and then tapping his ear twice.

“That’s Tony, always wanting to make sure you’re safe,” Steve said, nodding once towards the teen in affirmation of his warning.

“Yeah,” Peter agreed absently, taking a tray out of one of the drawers to balance the food and drinks on. “Wanna join us on the balcony?”

“Sounds great,” the super-soldier said, removing the pan from the fire and turning the stove off. “I’ll just get some ready-made food for myself and meet you out there.”

Peter had just finished his plate of sandwiches and Tony was halfway through his first one when Steve joined them. His face was serious as he held one of Nat’s salads and a bottle of water and sat with them on the floor, all three of them leaning against the side.

“What’s going on?” he asked immediately, his Captain’s voice bleeding into the words.

“Ross has taken May, and is blackmailing Peter into giving him my private server password in exchange for her,” Tony explained. “I’ve just finished moving our most vital files into a second server, but lots of information has had to be left on there to avoid him knowing that Peter told me. We can’t risk anything happening to May.”

“Oh, son,” Steve murmured, his eyes softening as he squeezed the teen’s shoulder. “We’ll get her back, I promise.”

“He knows we won’t stop until she’s back,” Tony confirmed, his tone strong with determination.

“Thank you both,” the teen said, barely loud enough to be heard. His eyes blurred with tears and he hastily turned his face into Tony’s side, closing his eyes and breathing in the smell of oil and cologne that he associated with the safety he felt in his mentor’s presence. The mechanic’s flesh hand rubbed soothing circles into his back as Steve reassured him, over and over, that May would be safe.  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i finished the chapter i was meant to post on monday but it's like 7k, so i'm posting 2k now and 5k monday so it's not so massive :)))))  
> chapter 3 and 4 are officially finished so i'm going to try and write as much of the fic as i can over the next few days but new chapters will defo be up every monday and if not they'll be up earlier <3

After consolidating the second server and ensuring all of the files were sufficiently encrypted but that the main private server still had enough information for Ross to deem it legit, Peter left the lab and ducked into the bathroom to ring Ross with the password. Both Tony and Steve knew what he was doing, but for any of Ross’ people listening in to the A.I. it would seem as though Peter was following the rules and keeping the blackmail secret from the Avengers. As he opened up his call history and selected the unknown number that had called him earlier he felt his heart start racing. His hands shook as he held the phone up to his ear.

It had barely rung once before Ross answered.

“I see you came to your senses about betraying your beloved Tony Stark,” Ross opened with, his voice smug and sneering. Despite Tony having actively helped him get May back, he still felt guilt settle like a rock at the pit of his stomach. “I don’t blame you. Now, what’s the password to his private server?”

Peter took a shaky breath before answering.

“IRONMANROX, with an X. All capitals,” he said, his voice cracking halfway through.

Ross laughed venomously.

“Obnoxious and egotistical. I should have expected that from Stark,” the man said, sounding bored.  
The teen felt the sudden burning need to defend his mentor.

“It’s an inside joke- something about having to hack into Colonel Rhodes years ago,” he explained, heart still racing. “I gave you the password, now you need to tell me where my aunt is.”

“Oh, but of _course_ , Mr Parker,” he said with mock-sincerity. “I am a man of my word. Your delightful little aunt can be collected from me in person, in fact, so you can guarantee that the goods don’t get damaged during delivery.”

“I-I’ll need a ride,” he said, as confidently as he could. “I’ll need to tell Mr Stark so he can take me to you.”

“My team need a few minutes to gather information from the server before you tell Stark and he removes the files. The coordinates will be sent to your phone shortly, and I’ll hear you if you tell him about our little deal before we’ve got enough to bring him down. I’ll be waiting here with your aunt, so don’t disappoint her and tell him too early, Parker. See you soon, Spider-man.”

The call ended and Peter fell heavily to the floor and hugged his arms around his knees as his breathing turned wheezed and black spots danced in his vision. He took a few minutes to even out his breaths before he could stand up and successfully support his own weight.

When his phone chimed a few moments later, he saw a notification appear. A set of coordinated that the teen didn’t recognise were laid out harshly against the cheesy lockscreen of him, Ned, and MJ in cosplay from last year’s comic con. The juxtaposition was almost enough to make him laugh, but he couldn’t bring himself to find humour in anything until he had May back.

He raced down to the lab with his phone open on the message, thrusting it in front of Tony and Steve who had been sitting in tense silence whilst he’d been calling Ross.

“I need to tell you something,” Peter rushed, knowing that the people monitoring the mechanic’s A.I. would be suspicious if he offered no explanation behind the coordinates. “A man has May, but I need to get her back. Please can you take me to these coordinates?”

“Of course, kid,” Tony said, “The quinjet’ll be ready in just a minute. Let me search these coordinates and see where your aunt’s being held.”

Tony and Steve peered closely at the screen as it searched the information, while Peter sat apart, staring at his phone with the irrational thought that another message might come through. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, an old vine video telling him that he’d been pranked?

He looked up at the two men when he heard Tony’s involuntary sharp inhale, just in time to see Steve gently thread his fingers through Tony’s. Peter didn’t know if the action was to support the mechanic, or ground himself.

“What?” Peter asked, anxiety rising. “Where’s May?”  
The two men shared a look, a silent conversation taking place.

“She’s on the Raft, Pete. But we’ll leave right now and we can be there in 30 minutes.” Despite his voice sounding calm, Peter could pick on the tension and it immediately set him on edge.

“She’s gonna be okay though, right?” he asked, his voice small.

Steve shot him a small smile, “Your aunt’s a tough woman, son. If anyone can get through this, it’s her.”

And with that they boarded the jet and headed for the Raft’s location in the Atlantic Ocean.

*********

The three of them landed on the roof of the Raft, an enormous, metal, cylindrical base almost fully submerged in the ocean, a few miles out from Riker’s Island. It had taken them twenty-four minutes to arrive, and Peter had spent all twenty-four of those minutes hanging on to Tony’s hand like a lifeline while Steve flew the quinjet.

As the ramp lowered and they began walking down, Peter’s phone chimed again.

_Rogers stays on the jet. Ramp up. You were only allowed to bring Stark._

Swallowing nervously, Peter turned to Steve, showing him the message. The teen saw the super soldier scan the words before turning his gaze to the mechanic and having another silent conversation with Tony. The mechanic eventually nodded, so subtle it was nearly imperceptible.

“I’ll see you both soon then,” Steve said, his voice projecting a level of calmness that Peter was almost certain he couldn’t be feeling. “Be safe.”

Tony and Peter made their way down the ramp as Steve walked back into the jet. A moment later, the ramp seamlessly returned to its original position, sealing Steve inside, and them outside. The mechanic gently threw his prosthetic arm over the teen’s shoulders, tucking the boy into his side. Peter took another deep breath.

His phone chimed, and a message appeared telling them to meet Ross and May at the far side of the Raft’s landing zone. It’s the furthest outside position from Steve and the jet, without granting them access _inside_ the base. Tony subconsciously glanced down to his chest, where he knows the suit is waiting within the nano-storing unit he had been wearing on the job that had lead to the end of the world as he’d known it.

It took them a minute or so at a steady- if not slightly too fast to be classed as standard- walking speed to reach the part of the roof that is furthest from the quinjet, as Ross had stipulated.

A trapdoor on the roof the Raft dissolved, and Ross climbed up a set of stairs, May just behind him. When Peter can get a clear view of her face, the relief he felt that she is whole and alive and mostly uninjured almost made him fall to his knees. There was a small nick above her right eyebrow, thin enough that the teen knew it wasn’t serious.

“Peter,” May exclaimed, her eyes bright but watery. “You shouldn’t be here! You need to g-“

Ross slapped her harshly across the face, so hard that she stumbled back a step. Peter felt a rage rise inside him that he’d never felt before- not even after he’d found out that May was missing.

“ _Hey_!” He yelled, stepping forward so that he was in-between Ross and his aunt. “I did what you asked!”

A self-satisfied smirk settled over Ross’ lips as he watched Tony hurriedly place himself in front of the teen, one hand thrown to the side to shield Peter and May, one hand hovering over his nano unit: ready to form his suit in a split second.

“Yes, you did,” Ross said smugly. “And as promised, I am returning your aunt to you. Here’s how this is going to go. Stark is going to take your aunt back to the jet, and when they are both inside the jet, Spider-man will then make his way onboard.”

“Absolutely not,” Tony retorted, immediately. “The kid stays with me.”

“I will not allow you to leave this base until you have followed this basic plan. It is to ensure my own safety. If Peter remains in front of me the whole time you are on the jet, I know that you will not fire at me. When he is walking back to the jet, he will make sure he walks in a straight line so that his body will be covering mine, and I will return to inside the Raft. Everyone is safe, everyone wins.”

“I’m not leaving Peter with _you_ ,” May spat, her cheek now showing the harsh red outline of Ross’ handprint. “He comes with us.”

“Then none of you are leaving at all.”

“Have fun trying to stop us, Ross,” Tony said, turning and gently pushing Peter in front of him as they started walking towards the jet. May was at his side, the aunt and nephew holding hands tightly as they turned their back to Ross.

The next thing Tony knew, a high-pitched buzzing was ringing out deafeningly loudly across the entire expanse of the Raft’s landing zone. He saw Peter crumple to the ground almost instantly, blood dripping steadily from both his ears. Black spots filled Tony’s vision, and he heard May cry out, an agonised sound that perfectly encapsulated the burning, excruciating feeling pulsating through his whole body. Almost in unison, May and Tony fell to their knees, unable to move. Fear filtered in somewhere between the torturous feeling clawing through his ears at the high-pitched sound. Distantly, he recognised it as an amped up version of the device that Obadiah had used to paralyse him all those years ago.

Before his eyes shut and consciousness slipped away from him, his last thought was of Peter, and how he’d promised the boy that they would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it! and you only have to wait 2 days until the chapter following the cliffhanger will be up <33


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i posted this chapter this morning but then realised there was a plot hole. i figured it would be easier to just delete and edit the original than try and sort it out after it was posted- it actually makes sense now but sorry if anyone read it this morning <33  
> hope you like this chapter !

Tony awoke to the muffled sound of waves crashing together, the volume oddly muted. His thoughts were sluggish as he blinked once, slowly. He glanced around him, and subconsciously took note of the large, flat metal rooftop he was on and the fact that as far as the eye could see, he was surrounded by water. He registered a body with its back to him at the same time he registered that there was one of his quinjets at the far end of the metal ground. Urgency suddenly filling him out of nowhere, he scrambled over to the body, rolling the female figure to face him. He exhaled in relief at the steady rise and fall of her chest, but pieced together the glasses and the long brown hair far, far later than he should have.

 _May Parker_. The name lit up another name in his mind like lightning, barely even a split second after.

_Peter! Peter, Peter, Peter._

_My kid._

He shook May gently by the shoulders, calling her name to wake her. It didn’t take long for her to open her eyes and gingerly sit up, before she was looking her around them frantically.

“Peter,” she said to Tony, eyes wide and panicked, “where’s Peter? He was right next to me!”

“He must be in the jet,” he answered, getting to his feet and then helping May to hers. “With his accelerated healing, he’s probably just with Steve in the jet, sorting out medical help for when we get back.”

He was rambling to hide his fear from May, and they both knew it. The sceptical look on her face as they began half walking, half jogging over to the jet told him that the same thought in his mind was in her mind: Peter would never have left them both unconscious on the floor, and neither would Steve.

The jet’s ramp lowered, and as the pair ascended, a muffled sort of shout had them both on the defensive; Tony used his nano-storage to release the suit, and as the sleek particles formed over his clothing, May stepped behind him. The muffled noise sounded again, from the front of the jet, and Tony made his way over silently, one hand pushed forwards and ready to fire in his signature pose.

The sight that met him was so unexpected that he would have laughed if he hadn’t been so damn worried.

Steve was strapped to the pilot’s chair with reinforced metal chains, a pair of thick vibranium cuffs around his wrists and another pair around his ankles. He was gagged, but still attempting to speak- explaining the muffled noise. Tony called to May that the jet was safe and then pulled off the super soldier’s gag. The blonde took a deep, desperate breath before he met Tony’s eyes with his own frightened gaze.

“Ross has him,” Steve rushed, and Tony felt his heart stop right there and then in his chest. “Ross took Peter when he knocked us all out with that damn high-pitched noise. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t do more to help, Tony. That noise had Peter out almost straight away, the only reason I stayed conscious as long as I did was because I was in the jet- but Ross’ men got me when I was coming down the ramp to stop them from taking the kid.”

An aborted sob sounded from May, and Tony felt his throat close up as tried to fight back tears of his own. He took May’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“Don’t apologise,” Tony said, almost on reflex, his voice far thicker than he wanted it to be. He needed the facts, and facts only. He’d have his incoming breakdown later, when he had the kid back in his arms. “Any idea where Ross would have taken him?” he asked Steve, as he grabbed the vibranium-melting device that Shuri had helped him to create for situations exactly like this, and set to work freeing the solider from the chains and cuffs.

The blonde shook his head, his own eyes suspiciously watery. “I don’t know, Tony, but I wish I did.”

“Did you see him take Peter inside the Raft? Or did Ross take him somewhere else?”

Pain flashed across the blonde’s beautiful features, and -if possible- Tony felt his chest tighten even more. His left arm tingled as he sliced through the ankle cuffs and freed Steve completely.

“What?” Tony asked, unexpectedly panicked by the super soldier’s expression. “What do you know, Steve?”  
“The Raft is gone. His men took Peter through the door he’d come up from and then the main building just . . . detatched from the exterior structure. It sunk completely into the water. All that’s left is the landing zone that we’re on. They could be anywhere by now. I’m so sorry.”

“They could be anywhere by now,” Tony echoed quietly, an uncharacteristic sense of hopelessness filling his chest.

“What does he want with my boy?” May asked the heroes.

“Information,” Steve answered, his voice gentle, knowing that Tony needed a minute to compose himself before he could handle May’s line of questioning. “He won’t have found whatever he was looking for from the server Peter got for him, so he’ll probably want to use Peter as blackmail.”

“Blackmail,” May repeated numbly. “That means that Ross won’t hurt him, right? Peter’s safety exchanged for the information means that he’ll be unharmed?”

“I’ll give him whatever he wants so long as it keeps Peter safe,” Tony said, understanding that although May’s questions had been rhetorical- they all knew that Peter wasn’t ‘safe’, but that didn’t mean they had to think about it- she’d probably appreciate an answer. As the words left his mouth, Tony was caught off guard, but not completely unsurprised, by how true it was. To a frightening degree. Ross could demand the president’s nuclear codes and Tony would hand-deliver them himself if it meant keeping his kid alive and well.

May simply nodded, as though she had expected this. _Maybe she had_ , Tony thought to himself.

“Did Peter have anything with him that you can track?” she asked, and Steve answered before Tony had even formulated a response.

“His phone!” the super solider exclaimed. “Ross’s messages were coming through on his phone, so we can track that, can’t we, Tony?”  
The mechanic’s eyes shot up to meet Cap’s.

“Yeah,” he said, on an exhale that was shaky with relief. “F.R.I.D.A.Y, track Pete’s phone and send the coordinates to the jet for immediate take-off.”

The A.I.’s smooth voice filled the jet. “Spider-baby’s phone is offline. No coordinates are available. I am scanning for him from your orbiting satellite and simultaneously tracing for him via all CCTV and mobile phones on the planet.”

“We’ll bring our boy back,” May said, confidence slowly seeping into the words. “There’s no way Ross can keep him hidden from every camera in the world.”

Steve and Tony shared a glance, small enough that May missed it, but it was enough for them to confirm that they wouldn’t crush her hope by sharing what they both knew. Ross could- and most importantly, would- avoid anything that he knew would leak Peter’s location to him.

Steve managed a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “We’ll get him back,” he said, straightening his shoulders and widening his feet. He exuded authority, and if the slight slump of May’s shoulder was anything to go, it had worked at reassuring her.

“F.R.I., I hope it goes without saying but divert all resources to finding the kid. Any and all information is top priority and comes straight to me,” Tony instructed, already pulling holographic images from the makeshift worktable he had built into the wall of the main room on the jet. One half of the table was filled with a globe of Earth, the other was a long list of logged dates and times. “How long were we out?” Tony asked.

“Approximately 4 hours, boss.”

The mechanic spun the globe, swiping certain countries off of the globe, leaving around half of them still illuminated.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked, stepping forward so he was shoulder-to-shoulder with the other hero.

“Based on the fastest speed of a quinjet even at full capacity Ross could only have travelled the distance that can be covered within 7 hours of a commercial flight. I’ve gotten rid of all the countries that he definitely hasn’t been able to reach yet, so that F.R.I. can focus all her attention on the countries that it’s possible he’s taken Pete to,” he explained, his eyes never leaving his work. “Now I’m gonna check air logs, just in case they submerged the Raft as a distraction and boarded a jet instead, and get in touch with Rhodey to see if anyone keeps track of where the Raft is. If they’re still submerged, it’s only a matter of time until they have to come back up and alert someone to where they are.”  
“I’ll go through the air records if you want to get a headstart on calling Rhodes,” Steve offered, already making his way over to the projected list of information. Tony simply nodded, the dial tone filling the jet as Rhodey was called.

“Rhodey, I need you to find out if there are any records of where the Raft is,” Tony said, as soon as the call had connected.

“Hello to you too, Tones,” The Colonel greeted, sounding amused. “Can I ask why you need this info? You know the Raft is a classified topic.”

“Ross has taken Pete,” the mechanic explained, and a sense of seriousness settled over the call. “Got us to meet him on the Raft- I don’t have time to explain why- but now he’s taken Pete and the whole Raft’s gone now, and I need to know where in case he’s still on it.”

“Shit, man, I’m so sorry,” Rhodey replied, sincerely. The faint sound of typing filled the background. “I’ll get you your info if I can find it, but it has to stay between us. It’ll be a serious breach of confidentiality.”

“Of course. And thank you, Rhodey, seriously. I owe you big time.”  
“Don’t be stupid, Tones, just get your kid back. By the way, I’m into the file now, but I’ve gotta go through every security protocol imaginable to get it decrypted. If you’ve got any other leads, I can call you back when I’m through.”

“Steve’s already on it, and F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s going through cameras and phones. At least waiting for you gives me something productive to do,” Tony said, his fingertips tapping senseless rhythms onto the metal of the suit covering his thigh.

“Steve’s with you?” the Colonel asked, something unreadable in his voice. The blonde glanced behind him to meet Tony’s eye at the question about him, his head tilted like a confused puppy.

“Yeah, why?” he asked, apprehension looming.

“I’m just glad he’s with you, is all,” Rhodey said, softly, typing still ongoing. “He’s good for you.”

Heat rose in the mechanic’s cheeks, and he broke eye contact with the blonde, who slowly turned back to continue going through the logs. May was looking between the two men like she was at a tennis match, a mischievous smile on her face despite the tension and fear in her eyes.

Tony coughed to clear his throat. “How’s that file going? Got anything for me?”

His oldest friend must have picked up on the awkwardness he’d caused, and followed the topic change without a hiccup.

“Just one more – ah, got it!” he exclaimed, as he passed the last checkpoint and the file came up on his screen. Silence fell as the Colonel skimmed the file. “Nothing logged for location changes, Tones. There’s nothing on here except a routine check to be carried out in three weeks time.”

Steve looked up again, meeting Tony’s eye when the mechanic involuntarily sought the blonde out. His blue eyes radiated sympathy.

“So what does that mean?” May asked, desperation etched into every line on her face. “Where is the Raft?”

“The Raft shouldn’t have left there. They haven’t informed the army or the government about where they were going to move to,” Rhodey explained, not even bothering to question who’d asked him.

“How is that possible?” She asked, seemingly rhetorically. “Surely a government asset can’t just be relocated without permission _from_ the government?”

Tony hummed in agreement, and Rhodey sighed.

“It shouldn’t be possible, and if I’m being honest, I doubt he’ll have told them. My best guess is that when the officials start asking questions he’ll have to tell them, but I’ll keep an eye on the file in case anything else comes up. I know this doesn’t help, but there’s no way that Ross could get away with skipping the check in three weeks. He’ll have to have the Raft back by then. Sorry I couldn’t give you any answers though, Tones, but we’ll find him.”

“I know we will,” he said, because he refused to believe anything else. “Keep me updated.”

“Of course,” Rhodey said, and then the call ended.

“So we still don’t know where my boy is,” May said, with not even a hint of an accusation. “Are you going to tell the rest of the Avengers?”

“We’ll call a team meeting back at the compound, anyone who isn’t nearby will be told to get there ASAP. They’ll help us find him. Nat and Barton are two of the best spies in the world- if anyone can track Peter down, it’s them,” Steve answered.

“F.R.I., take us to the compound,” Tony ordered. He turned to look at May. “I assume I don’t even need to ask if you want to come back with us?”

She nodded, something approving in the movement. “You already know the answer, Tony. I’ll be wherever I need to be to help get Peter back.”

“Of course,” he agreed. “There’s a bed at the back of the jet, it’s a few hours to the compound and you must be exhausted after Ross took you. Go get some rest.”

May opened her mouth to ask a question, but Tony beat her to it.

“If we get any information, I’ll wake you up and let you know straight away. You have my word.”

That approving look was back on her face, “I know you will, Stark. See you both in a few hours.”

A few moments later there was the soft closing of a door behind her, and then Steve and Tony were alone.

The air logs had been checked and were- unsurprisingly- fruitless, so Steve had been sitting in the pilot’s chair keeping a concerned eye on his friend.

When he was certain that May couldn’t see or hear him anymore, Tony sagged into the nearest seat with a tired, weary look crossing his face. Steve stood and took the seat next to him, wrapping an arm around the mechanic’s shoulders. He hadn’t expected the touch to be as welcome as it apparently was, because Tony scooted a little closer to him, and dropped his head into the crook between the blonde’s neck and shoulder.

“I don’t know what to do,” Tony admitted, his voice so quiet it was barely audible even to the super soldier’s enhanced hearing. “F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s running as many scans as is possible, Rhodey’s keeping an eye on the Raft’s registered whereabouts, but there’s nothing I can physically do to help find my kid. I hate feeling this useless.”

“You’re doing everything you can. Anyone that’s ever spent even a _second_ around you and Peter knows that there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for him. I know without a shadow of a doubt that if there was something that held just the slightest possibility of finding his location, you’d do it in a heartbeat,” he pointed out. “I know it’s hard, but cut yourself some slack, Tony.”

“I just need to know he’s okay, that he’s safe,” the mechanic murmured. “I need _him_ , but I’m not his family, Steve, I have no right to feel that way about him.”

“It’s perfectly natural to be this worried about someone you consider family. Blood or not, and you’ve said it yourself, he’s your kid. Bucky isn’t really my brother, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t do and feel exactly the same things that biological brothers do- it’s the same for Peter being your kid.”

“I’ve never told him how I feel,” Tony confessed, voice thick. “What if I never get the chance to?”

Steve pressed a gentle kiss to the man’s forehead before he’d registered what he was doing. Tony didn’t even seem surprised.

“ _Hey_ , don’t think like that,” he coaxed. “We’ll get him back before you know it, and then you can tell him whatever it is that you need to, you hear me?”

“I love that kid like he’s my own, and I’ve never told him.”

“You can tell him when we have him back,” Steve said, in a tone that brooked no arguments.

“I will,” Tony said, thoughtfully. “I’ll tell him everyday.”

“Yeah you will,” he agreed.

The emergency alert sounded and had Tony basically jumping to his feet in his haste to reach the hologprahics table.

“What have you found, F.R.I.?”

“I have decrypted footage from the same time that Ross took Spider-baby, and confirmed that he _was_ taken onboard the Raft. This means that, with the Raft’s reported top speed of 221 knots, more countries are eliminated than previously thought. I am concentrating my surveillance resources on the countries it is possible for them to have reached at this point.”  
“Good girl,” Tony said.

“221 knots?” Steve repeated. “How is that possible for a building of this size?”

“The government found a way to manipulate the supercavitation of underwater torpedoes so that the gas bubble encompasses an entire building. The bubble helps the movement be as streamlined as possible, so it can travel that quickly without drag,” Tony explained, hoping his explanation wasn’t too complex despite having dumbed it down.

“Oh,” the blonde said, nodding along. “That actually does make sense.”

“You know much about torpedoes and supercavitation?” the mechanic teased, enjoying the faint blush that rose in the super soldier’s cheeks.

“Um, actually yes. Kind of. I mean, I used the internet to keep up with developments in the army and navy of the main countries from world war 2. The Soviet Union first used that in torpedoes, right?”

Tony could admit that he was pleasantly surprised.

“Yeah, the VA-111 Shkval. The developments since then have been monumental, hence it being used to cover the whole of the Raft.”

“But it’s still not as fast as a plane, and definitely not faster than a quinjet,” Steve half-stated, half-asked.

“Exactly,” the mechanic agreed. “And we only have a couple of hours until we land, so the Raft still can’t have gotten much further.”

*******

By the time they landed and the three of them made their way up to the living quarters, most of the team was assembled and waiting for them. Nat, Clint, Sam, Bruce, Rhodey, and Bucky were suited up, and Thor had already informed them that he would join them when he could, but -as usual- offered no timeframe of this.

After May had been introduced to them and the situation explained, they set up their main operations in the conference room. The huge screen was dedicated to F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s camera surveillance and satellite tracking and the table was home to Bruce, Sam, and Rhodey plotting out last known locations of Ross and his lackeys, the Raft, and recent sanctions from the government officials most closely linked with the Raft’s actions. Nat and Clint were sitting in chairs next to each other as they watched over the mission and spoke in low voices about what could be expected from the blackmail. May and Steve took a seat opposite the screen, watching the scans and surveillance being conducted by the A.I. Bucky sat alone in the corner, his face unreadable as he clenched and unclenched his metal hand, over and over.

“Hey, robocop,” Tony said as he came and sat next to the ex-assassin to work out their gameplan. “What’s got your antique knickers in a twist?”

Bucky didn’t even acknowledge the dig. “Ross has taken Peter against his will,” he said, pensively. “He’s a good kid, and I don’t want him to suffer.”

The _like I suffered when I was taken against my will_ goes unsaid.

His words made Tony think about the relatively close bond that the kid had with Bucky. Movie nights and book recommendations to catch him up on modern culture, impromptu walks around the compound’s outdoors when anxiety held the ex-assasin in its clutches, Bucky’s quiet but confident talks when Peter was struggling with his trauma. They were closer than Tony had acknowledged, and he knew that with Bucky’s extreme discomfort around new people, and his refusal to trust anyone except Steve and the team- and even some of the team were not completely trusted by Bucky- his comfort and trust in Peter was extraordinary.

“You’re right, he is a good kid. That’s how we know Pete’ll be okay.”

“Yeah?” Bucky asked, tentatively, and Tony couldn’t quite comprehend that he was reassuring an ex-HYDRA assassin that his teenage friend would be okay.

“Yep,” Tony said. “You have my word.”

And with that, he offered Bucky a handshake with his prosthetic arm. They shook hands, cool metal against smooth vibranium, and the mechanic remembered how reluctant Bucky had been to use his metal arm openly after everything that had happened with Zemo. After Tony had lost his arm wielding the gauntlet and had begun the long process of adjusting his life to incorporate the vibranium prosthetic, Bucky seemed to acknowledge that the team didn’t feel uncomfortable and slowly began to use his own prosthetic for mundane tasks, too. The team had noticed when he’d stopped wearing the black gloves he’d used for years, and never drawn attention to it. Both men wore their arms openly and, although the mechanic couldn’t speak for Bucky, he was proud of his prosthetic. He’d lost his arm saving the universe and getting his kid back, and there was no cause more worthy than that.

The pair stood, Bucky joining Nat and Clint in strategizing the rescue, and Tony made his way over to Steve and May, who were watching F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s scans with unwavering attention.

“Has she made any progress yet?” he asked the blonde, despite knowing that the A.I. would have informed him immediately.

“Not yet, but she will. I know that we’ll find him,” he answered, his voice certain.

“Try tracking his phone again, F.R.I.,” Tony instructed. “And I’m almost certain he didn’t have his suit with him, but get me a location on all of Spider-man’s tech, just in case.”

“Spider-baby’s phone is offline. No coordinates are available. Spider-baby’s Iron-Spider charging unit is currently malfunctioning, but his Iron-Spider suit is offline and no coordinates are available. Iron-Spider suit mark IV is currently located within your personal lab at the Tower. Search for Spider-baby’s web-shooters is still in progress.”

A spark of hope flared in his chest, and he saw May’s eyes meet his, painful expectation in the look.

“Coordinates found for Spider-baby’s web-shooters. Coordinates have been sent to the primary quinjet with auto-pilot engaged.”

“Oh my God,” May breathed, as they got to their feet and the team left the room to ready the jet. “Let’s go get our boy back, Tony.”

“What are we waiting for,” he said, grinning on his way to the door. “Let’s go.”

The team jogged down to the jet, and before they even had a chance to sit down, the quinjet was taking off.

“What are the coordinates, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?” Bruce asked, glancing over to the screen.

“26°40'32.6"N 73°44'00.4"W,” she relayed.

Tony swore colourfully, and Bruce’s gaze turned to him as he realised the mechanic’s thoughts.

“You couldn’t have known, Tony. It’s only been a few hours,” the academic said, his voice soft.

“I thought they’d have kept travelling! I didn’t think they’d have just waited nearby!” His voice was raised, and Steve was looking at him with concern.

“Where do the coordinates lead?” the blonde asked the pair.

“It’s off the coast of the Bahamas. He barely even left.” Tony sounded exasperated, and Steve instantly knew that Tony was blaming himself for not having guess their location, despite having no clues or information. They could have been anywhere on Earth.

“That’s not your fault,” the blonde comforted. “Anyway, what matters is that we know where he is, and we’re going to get him back.”

“Nobody blames you,” May said, sincerely. “And you know that Peter would be unbearable if he could hear you blaming yourself for something that’s not your fault.”

Tony couldn’t hep the small huff of laughter that image caused, mostly because it had happened before. Peter had a way of cutting through his self-deprecation in the kindest, most polite way, and helping him to see the man that Peter saw when he looked at him.

That was all Tony ever wanted in life- to be worthy of Peter’s opinion of him.

******

They arrived at the coordinates just over an hour later, hopes and spirits of the team raised knowing they had Peter’s location. That hope dimmed somewhat, when they’d circled around the coordinates three times, and then flown in a one-mile radius to account for the current.

There was no sign of the Raft.

“Check the web-shooter coordinates again and scan the location including a fifteen-mile radius for body heat,” Tony ordered, his heart racing at the prospect of losing Peter again before they’d even fond him.

“No body heat detected within a fifteen mile radius, boss. Conducting further scan for an additional ten mile radius. Spider-baby’s web-shooter location is approximately one mile north of original coordinates, due to ocean current. But there is no form of life within fourteen miles of them.”

May gasped, and Steve grabbed Tony’s vibranium hand, oblivious to the glance that Rhodey shot towards his friend at the gesture.

“Additional scan completed. No body heat detected within twenty-five miles of the original coordinates. I have accounted for both Spider-baby’s lowered body temperature, and hypothermic temperatures that would be expected if a human was in the water.”

“Get me the shooters, F.R.I.” His voice cracked halfway through the sentence, and he distantly heard May choke on a sob. Out of the corner of his eye, Nat and Clint went to comfort her; Nat because she had always had a soft spot for the younger half of the spider duo, and Clint because as a father, he could only imagine the aunt’s torment for her missing child.

Steve pulled the mechanic against his chest, who was so numb he couldn’t even bring himself to cry. Rhodey took a seat on his friend’s exposed side and rubbing his arm gently.

“We’ll get him back, man. This is just a bump in the road,” Rhodey murmured.

“You know Rhodey’s always right,” the blonde agreed. “What’s the saying, one step backwards, two steps forward? This is our step back, but we’ve got two coming forward.”

A small square opened in the floor of jet, a small box containing the soaking wet web-shooters inside. The box unfolded to let the tech out, and then dissolved back into the floor. Bucky took the pair of shooters and Bruce set the jet to take them back to the compound.

Tony was numb in Steve’s arms the whole journey back, May’s cries stifling the further they travelled from the useless coordinates.

For the duration of the flight, the team offered reassurances that they’d have the kid back in no time. By the time they landed back at the compound, Tony almost believed them.

The next morning, after a night of trying alternate methods of tracking and flat-out refusing to rest, Steve guided him to his room and the mechanic fell into a fitful sleep to assurances that they’d find Peter soon. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warnings for this chapter are in end notes x

They didn’t find Peter soon. In fact, over two weeks had passed and they still didn’t know where the Raft was.

Tony and May were falling apart at the seams. Barely sleeping or eating, their entire existence revolved around watching the scans and phone tracing, checking in with Rhodey for file updates – of which there had been none- and just generally avoiding resting for fear of the debilitating nightmares that plagued them both. The rest of the team weren’t far behind them. 

Although he was reluctant to admit it, the only time the nightmares weren’t quite so all-consuming were the nights Steve stayed with him until he slept, promising to wake him if any news came through. He would often wake some time later to Steve sound asleep beside him, holding Tony to his side as though he could physically fight the nightmares away. The thought stirred something warm in the bottom of his stomach.

Tony was nursing his third cup of black coffee that day, and it wasn’t even noon yet. May was curled up with a latte, her bloodshot eyes following every miniscule change on the screen. Clint had fallen asleep with his cheek on the table, and Nat was on the phone with a government official, demanding the location of the Raft for what felt like the hundredth time.

Tony had called the president’s personal number- a number he’d never thought he’d have cause to use- barely an hour after they’d returned to the compound the day the teen had been kidnapped, asking him where Ross was. He’d been told that Ross had requested to undertake an impromptu investigation of an apparent security breach that had taken place the week before. The mechanic hadn’t bought the lie for a second, and told the president so. The next day, he and Rhodey flew out to the white house uninvited. They’d secured a meeting with the Vice President, who had told them that she would try her best to start an investigation to the Raft’s whereabouts

Three days later, they’d received a video call from the Pentagon, telling them that the Raft was classified, and any results of the investigation would be kept from them. The investigation still hadn’t taken place: it was reportedly pretty low down on the Pentagon’s priority list, for reasons that the team just couldn’t fathom- especially when kidnapping was involved.

All in all, the search for Peter had been infuriatingly fruitless. Dead end after dead end to the point that Rhodey eventually pointed out that with the routine check coming up, it would be their best bet to infiltrate the Raft and get the kid back.

The check from a high-end government official was due to take place the next day, and there was yet to be any sighting of the Raft returning to its original destination but Rhodey remained insistent that Ross wouldn’t be able to get away with avoiding the check without raising some serious questions.

As if on cue, F.R.I.D.A.Y. alerted him to an incoming call from the colonel.

“Answer it, F.R.I.,” he said, and then Rhodey’s voice was filling the conference room.

“The Raft’s back,” his friend rushed. “Came through not even a minute ago. Ross won’t expect you to know he’s back for a while so you’ll have an advantage if you leave right now. I can meet you there if you want me to.”

“Primary quinjet is prepped with auto-pilot engaged for the Raft’s landing zone,” the A.I. cut in. “I have alerted the rest of the team to assemble onboard.”

“Thanks, F.R.I.” he said, as he clambered to his feet and shoved Clint awake. May had already ditched her latte and started stumbling down to the jet. “And I’ve got this covered, but I’ll meet you back here with medical ready if you can.”

“Of course, I’m on my way. Tell the kid I said hi.”

“Will do. And thank you, Rhodey, seriously.”

“Don’t mention it, man. Just go get your kid back.”

The call cut and then Tony was running to the jet, calling his suit to him. It had enveloped him from top to bottom by the time the ramp closed behind him. Next thing he knew, they were speeding towards the Raft on the only lead they’d had in over two weeks, suited up and ready to save Peter.

*****

They landed suddenly and Tony didn’t hesitate before flying straight down the lowering ramp, Steve and the rest of the team sprinting behind him, and blasting straight through the roof’s entrance with his repulsors. He jumped down, landing heavily on the metal floor, he heard his landing echoed by the team members jumping down alongside him; Bruce and May had stayed aboard the jet, monitoring the situation.

“Search for the kid, F.R.I.”

“Heat signature for Spider-baby has been located on the thirteenth floor, boss. Sending results to your HUD.”

“Pete’s on the thirteenth floor. We need to get there now,” the mechanic informed the team. He felt calmer now than he had in weeks, knowing that he had something concrete and productive to focus on.

Without further ado, Bucky rolled two grenades either side of the group and gestured for the team to duck. They all crouched as the explosions burst and then ran split up and ran straight through the chaos caused by the explosions. Tony, Steve, and Bucky went left, with Nat, Clint, and Sam going right. Tony’s group pressed for the elevator and one well-executed throw of Steve’s shield knocked out the two people that were revealed when the doors were opened. Bucky grabbed their I.D’s and wordlessly handed one to Tony as he pressed the thirteenth button.

He didn’t mention it for fear of jinxing it, but Tony couldn’t help the traitorous voice in his mind telling him that this had been too easy. Ross would have known that eventually Tony would have found out that the Raft was back, and that he’d break in with the team to get the kid back. There had been no defence on the rooftop, and no defence behind the main route into the building, which could only mean . . .

The elevator opened to reveal at least 30 weapon-toting soldiers in front of a large double door. Tony’s HUD showed that Peter was in there with one other person, presumably Ross.

Iron-man threw up two nano shields like he’d used when Bruce had tried to wield the gauntlet, one for Steve and Bucky respectively, to deflect the majority of the bullets.

Steve raised his arm with the shield, throwing it boomerang-style so it knocked out a whole line of the soldiers firing at them as Bucky gunned some of the men down, one-by-one. Tony boosted himself over the soldiers, so there was no longer anything standing in his way of the metal door and began blasting the few soldiers who had turned to take on a vibranium suit-clad superhero with simple machine guns.

They dropped like flies until there were no more standing.

The three heroes hadn’t even broken a sweat.

Using a slight reverse propulsion to help him, Tony pulled the double doors clean off of their hinges and as his eyes adjusted to the pitch black darkness inside, he caught sight of Peter and the scene taking place before him.

His kid was on his knees. He was shaking, blindfolded and gagged.

Ross was smirking victoriously at Tony.

His gun was pressed tightly into the teen’s forehead.

Tony saw red and vowed right then and there that Ross would not be leaving the Raft alive.

*****

Peter was blind.

He knew this because his sight still hadn’t adjusted to the darkness, and it felt like days had passed. He’d been given water five times, and food three times, feeling around on the floor in the direction he’d heard the items land in. Every time he felt a panic attack coming for him in the endless blackness he’d tried to acclimate himself to, he clenched his eyes shut tightly and attempted to convince himself that it was only dark because his eyes were closed. It had helped him keep four out of seven of his panic attacks at bay.

After the bite, he’d gotten used to relying on his heightened senses for everything, so for one of his senses to be gone so suddenly had left with a pounding headache for he thought must have been at least a day or two.

He wanted Tony. He wanted May. He wanted them to hold him and tell him that it was okay. He wanted Tony to tell him that they’d get his sight back in no time, and then help him escape the blanket of nothingness that surrounded him.

But nobody had come for him, and he hadn’t heard anything except food and water being deposited into the small room he’d mapped out with his hands and a high-pitched noise so awful that Peter nearly collapsed every time it rang out. He grasped the cool bottle of water in his hands tightly, shaking it to hear how much liquid was left. As he didn’t know how much time had been passing, he’d been trying to ration the food and water he getting through, but his stomach still rumbled incessantly and his throat was still dry. His lips were so chapped that the few times he’d called desperately for help, he’d felt the skin split and his mouth had filled with the iron taste of blood. Eventually he’d learned that it was no use and curled up in the corner of the room until he fell into a restless sleep of recurring nightmares.

Peter had stayed in the dark for what felt like days, with less and less water and food coming through as the days passed. He could barely crawl over to the slot that he’d realised the items were coming through without stopping to rest every few movements.

“ _Please_ ,” he cried as he held the quarter-full water bottle in one hand and the measly slice of bread they’d given him in the other. “Please! What do you want from me?”

Just the effort of speaking had him leaning against the cold wall and wheezing in breaths.

For the first time since he’d been taken to wherever he was, he got an answer.

“We need to teach some lessons,” said a gruff male voice from over a speaker. The noise was far louder than Peter’s own voice had been, and he cringed away with his hands pawing weakly at his ears.

“To who?” he asked, knowing his voice cracked and didn’t sound as strong as he’d wanted it to.

“Stark,” was all the answer he got, and the thought of his father-figure had his heart clenching painfully. “He has not been looking for you, though.”

His heart splintered at that, after having spent all this time thinking that Tony and the Avengers would come for him.

“He hasn’t?” he asked, weakly. He couldn’t even cry, he was so dehydrated.

“It would not be hard to locate you. And yet he has not come.”

He clutched a hand against his chest, his heart beating wildly as he fought to keep his breathing under control.

 _It’s not true,_ he thought to himself _. You can’t trust the people that kidnapped you. Mr Stark will be looking for you. He’ll find you._

“He’ll come,” he murmured, more to himself than the man listening to him. The man didn’t even dignify him with a response.

\---

The next time something different to his usual routine of panic attack, nap, take a few sips of water, try and get some more answers, nap, take a few bites of food, nap, was when hands grabbed him under the arms and something splashed into his eyes. The blackess remained and his eyes stung. He swore colourfully with the little energy he had left.

Metal floor scraped at his legs as he was dragged by the arms for a few minutes. Eventually the hands left him and doors slammed shut. He sank onto his back, chest heaving with the effort of breathing becoming too much for his bony, frail body to bear.

Something clutched at his hair, hauling him onto his knees and he cried out in pain.

“Where am I?” he asked, desperately, but received no answer.

The sound of gunfire was like explosions in his ears after the weeks of silence, and he whimpered pitifully.

“Shut up,” a man snarled, his voice different to the one who had answered him in the room he had been kept in. Scratchy material was forced into his mouth and over his eyes. He would have laughed if he hadn’t felt like death had him in his clutches- _he couldn’t see anyway_!

A deafening blast suddenly sounded in front of him, and something cold and sleek was pressed tightly enough against his forehead for it to bruise. It took his sluggish mind to piece together.

 _A gun_.

The involuntary shaking from his weak body intensified as terror took over.

******

“Let him go, Ross,” Tony ordered, his voice strong despite the terror that had taken over seeing Peter so vulnerable.

Bucky stepped forward, cocking his machine gun to reinforce the unspoken threat.

“One step closer and I’ll blow his brains clean out,” Ross answered coolly, and Steve couldn’t help his small shiver.

“This doesn’t need to get messy,” Steve said. “Give us Peter back, and we’ll let you walk out of here unharmed.”

It was a lie, and Tony and Bucky knew it, but there was a moment where it looked like Ross was seriously considering it before his signature smirk stretched across his lips again.

“I’m not stupid, Captain. You won’t let me leave here alive no matter what happens, but a lesson needed to be learned.”

“If you give us Peter and give up your gun, I’ll escort you out of here safely myself,” Bucky growled, his gun now lowered to his side, his metal arm hanging at his other side.

Peter hadn’t moved the whole time, just shaking almost violently on his knees. So much so that every so often Ross’ gun was no longer connected to his forehead. Tony kept one eye on the muzzle of the gun, and his other on Ross’ gaze to see what _he_ was assessing from the situation.

Murmuring into his comms, he informed Steve and Bucky of the shaking, and that a well-timed shot at Ross would mean Peter was safe.

Bucky glanced sideways to Tony, a miniscule nod sent his way. The message was clear: Steve and Tony needed to keep Ross distracted.

“Who had to learn what lesson?” Steve asked, giving Ross his full attention.

“Stark,” he snarled, “had to learn that he could not lie to me and get away with it. I knew that the Avengers are no heroes, I just needed evidence to show the government. We have to get you under _control_.”

“What evidence were you looking for?” The blonde asked evenly, as Bucky kept a careful eye on the moments that Peter’s shakes were so violent that Ross’ gun was no longer making contact. If he could find the rhythm, he could pinpoint the exact moment he’d need to fire to ensure that if Ross pulled the trigger, Peter wouldn’t be its target.

“The servers were supposed to have the evidence!” Ross yelled, so loudly that Peter flinched.

Between one blink and the next, Bucky had used Peter’s flinch as his cover and fired straight at Ross’ right shoulder. Upon impact, Ross’ arm jerked back as the ex-assassin had predicted, pulling the trigger and firing the bullet straight into the opposite wall. Thaddeus screamed, eventually dropping the gun and grasping tightly at his shoulder with his left hand. Peter fell forward, as though the gun to his head had been the only thing keeping his upright, and Tony caught him.

The mechanic pulled the teen into his arms, and Steve pulled away the gag and blindfold. Peter’s eyes flicked around frantically, but he didn’t look at Tony.

“Mr Stark?” the boy croaked, and Tony’s heart could have broken at how desperate and painful he sounded. He looked over the boy for injuries and stopped almost immediately as he realised how pronounced the kid’s cheekbones were. The hand clutching his chest was bony, and the arm leading from it was, too.

 _They starved my kid_ , he thought. Insurmountable rage filled him.

“Yeah, kid,” he murmured. “It’s me, I’m here. We’re taking you home, Pete.”

“May?” he asked, voice cracking.

“She’s fine, kid,” he said, his own voice cracking with emotion. “Out of her mind with worry for you, and so am I. She’s in the jet waiting for you.”

“I c-can’t _see_ , Mr Stark,” the boy said, his voice high with panic as his eyes flicked around again without focusing on anything.

Tony’s heart stopped, and he saw Steve look at the teen with worry. Bucky paused from tying up a still whimpering Ross to glance over at them.

Bucky turned back to Ross, his metal fist clenching so tightly the gears whirred audibly.

“What did you do to him?” the ex-assassin demanded, fist hovering over Ross’ gunshot wound.

“Anything that happened to him in captivity was done in the name of science. We were monitoring the mutant,” he spat.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” he said, dangerously quiet. The air suddenly felt charged, and Peter’s shaking picked up again. Tony held him even more tightly to his chest, securely but not uncomfortably so.

“They wanted to see how the enhanced operate with the loss of a vital sense,” Ross growled. Tony saw what was coming a moment before it happened and ran out of the room with Peter still in his arms.

“We’re gonna get you back to the jet, Pete. You can talk to your aunt, and then we’ll get you some food and water, how does that sound?”

“Yeah,” the teen whispered. He closed his eyes, resting his head on the vibranium of Tony’s suit. “M’so tired.”

“Get some rest, Pete,” he suggested gently. “We’ll still be here when you wake up, and I’ll keep you safe while you sleep.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

*****

Sam, Clint and Nat had kept the elevator and main entrance secure as they’d planned, so Tony exited the Raft with no trouble. He flew back to the jet, and Bruce immediately got to work setting up an IV. May’s hands were covering her mouth in horror as she raced to her nephew’s side, tears streaming silently down her face.

“What did they do to my boy?” she murmured, mostly to herself.

When the drip was up and running, Bruce had F.R.I.D.A.Y. scan his frail body and throw up the findings on the holographic screen.

“The good news is that most of the inflicted injuries are superficial, mostly scrapes and bruises,” Bruce told them, as he scanned the screen with his reading glasses on. “The bad news is that the starvation and dehydration has really done a number on him. I’ll have Dr Cho set up a meal plan for him so that we can get him back to a healthy weight without overloading his stomach.”

“Will he be okay?” Tony asked, nausea rising in his throat.

A moment passed as Bruce formulated his answer. “It won’t be easy,” he said honestly, “and it won’t be a quick recovery, but with patience, following Helen’s diet strictly, and lots of TLC, he’ll make a full recovery.”

May and Tony exhaled simultaneously, like the weight of the world had been lifted. 

“Thank God,” May breathed, taking Peter’s hand in her own and rubbing soothing circles over the back of his skinny hand.

Another jet suddenly landed beside them, and Tony was racing to the opening of the quinjet, his repulsor levelled to fire at the incoming enemy as its ramp lowered. However, the black clothing and billowing cloak- no matter how many times he refuted it was a cloak- revealed a thunderous looking Fury.

“Fury,” he greeted tightly, lowering the repulsor. “Who called you here?”

“Rogers. He said a few things involving Ross, kidnapping, minors, and blindness and, well,” he tapped his eyepatch, “there was no way I couldn’t come and make sure that justice gets served. I figured you wouldn’t want that son a bitch on the same jet as Parker.”

“You were right,” Tony agreed. “Where are you gonna take him?”

“I can take him to prison to await trial, but I figured the best justice could be meted and served out by the Avengers. I’ll deliver him straight to the sub-level of the compound. I’ll make sure his location will only be given out on a need-to-know basis.”

“Thank you. I’ve really gotta get back to my kid, but Steve and Barnes should be out with him in a sec.”

Fury waved him off and headed over to the main door of the Raft. Tony returned to the jet, thinking over Fury’s words.

 _Blindness. Why hadn’t Bruce’s scan mentioned that the kid couldn’t fucking_ see _?_

Peter’s heartrate monitor was beeping steadily, and Tony took up the other side of the jet’s makeshift hospital bed, so that he was opposite May. They both held one of the teen’s hands, and May was watching the monitor intently.

“Bruce?” Tony asked, having caught sight of the man when he had returned from sorting out the medical supplies for the trip home. “Did the scan show anything for Pete’s sight?”  
The man put his reading glasses on and quickly read the scan again, before shaking his head.

“There’s nothing showing up about it, why?”

The mechanic glanced across Peter’s unconscious body to see May’s gaze focused on him.

“Kid told me he couldn’t see,” Tony answered, and saw May clutch the young hero’s hand more tightly in response. “When I was carrying him out he was looking around but his eyes weren’t . . . settling on anything. Why wouldn’t that be showing?”

Banner frowned, a small crease appearing between his brows.

“It _would_ show up, Tony,” he said, confusion evident in his tone. “The scan searches for any damaged nerves or cells and any cause of blindness would mean there is damage of the photoreceptor cells. Did he mention if he was suffering from partial or complete blindness?”

“I didn’t think to ask,” he admitted, guilt settling in his stomach. “But he couldn’t look me in the eye, and his eyes didn’t focus on anything while we were getting out.”

“Hey,” May said to him, her voice soft, “you got him out, Tony. You got him back to the jet so we could fix him up. We’ll handle his vision, too, whatever’s happening.”

The mechanic simply gave her a small nod, acknowledging her words, but couldn’t force himself to meet her gaze.

“There are a number of reasons that his vision may have temporarily deteriorated, but Cho will be able to investigate when we’re back at the Compound. The main thing to focus on is that no permanent cell damage showed up on the scan, so his retinal cells aren’t permanently damaged. That’s really good, Tony,” Bruce reassured.

Just as Bruce finished speaking, Steve and Bucky entered the jet.

“Fury has Ross,” Bucky said, as Steve entered the flight coordinates. “He’s taking him to the cells at the Compound. Nat, Clint and Sam are travelling with him, just to make sure nothing happens to the prisoner en route.”

Once both super soldiers had taken a seat, F.R.I.D.A.Y. began the quinjet’s journey. When they were flying steadily, Steve and Bucky stood and made their way over to the teen’s side, with the blonde sitting beside Tony, and Barnes standing at the foot of the bed. The ex-assassin was clearly struggling to keep his face neutral, as his jaw was clenched and his lower lip trembled ever so slightly.

“Thank you for helping to bring him home,” May said to them all, although she was looking at Bucky.

“It took too long,” the ex-assassin murmured, eyes flicking over the boy’s thin frame. Peter’s aunt let out a long-suffering sigh and then took his metal hand in hers.

“You heroes are all the same,” she said, with a wry smile. “We got here as soon as we could and didn’t stop looking for him for even a _second_ the whole time he was missing. Peter wouldn’t want us to blame ourselves- and right now, what Peter wants, Peter’s going to get. Do I make myself clear?” she asked, with far more exasperation than mock-threat.

“Yes ma’am,” Steve answered, with a small salute that brought a small to Bruce and Bucky’s faces. Tony glanced sideways at him and saw the way he looked at Peter like he was the only thing that mattered. Tony couldn’t help but agree; the kid really was their Sun. The love in the blonde’s eyes was what eventually brought a smile to his face.

They landed a little while later, still positioned in a loose circle like they were telling the world that anything it had left to throw at him would have to get through them first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it, and stay safe everyone !  
> \-----------  
> tw: minor violence, guns, mentioned of blindness, minor descriptions of anxiety attacks


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the longest chapter so far, hope u enjoy :)))))))  
> ft tony and may helicopter parenting at its finest

“Tony, nothing is going to appear on the seventh scan that hasn’t on the first six. You have my word,” Doctor Cho informed him patiently.

The mechanic knew he was being irrational. He may not have been a medical expert but he _was_ a tech expert, and he knew that the scanning technology that he had created would not have missed anything the first time, let alone the following five. He also trusted Cho with Peter, which alone demonstrated his rationality: nobody else would be able to get Peter back to full health as much as he trusted Cho to.

Tony slumped in the padded chair he was sitting in at the kid’s bedside, letting the regular beat of the teen’s heart on the monitor wash over him for a moment.

“I know,” he eventually admitted, wearily running his flesh hand over his face. “I know it won’t.”

From where Steve sat next to his right, he took Tony’s prosthetic hand and lightly worked the knuckles to relieve the tension in the vibranium ball-in-socket joints that sometimes caused him problems if he clenched the hand too much.

“The samples of Peter’s vitreous humor that I sent to be tested when he arrived here should be back with results within the hour. I’m certain that any vision problems will be explained within those results,” she explained.

“And if the test doesn’t give us any answers?” May asked, her voice tight with anxiety.

“It will,” Doctor Cho repeated with certainty, before adjusting the IV drip and performing another pupil dilation test.

“Any improvement with his dilation?” Bucky asked from across the room, despite knowing the answer.

“Unfortunately, there has been no change, and there is still no reaction to the light stimulus. But as there is no identifiable damage to the cells, there is no permanent damage and his eyesight will recover. The results of the vitreous test will simply determine how long it will be until it recovers, depending on what the results are.”

“Well, thank you for all you’ve done so far, Doctor Cho,” May said, sincerely.

“You’re welcome,” the doctor answered with a polite nod, before turning to shoot a pointed look in Tony’s direction. “I appreciate you acknowledging my hard work, Mrs Parker.”

Tony rolled his eyes good-naturedly and Cho smiled widely at him.

“I would imagine your salary shows my appreciation pretty well, Doctor,” he said with a small smile of his own.

She shrugged mischievously, before making her way to the door. “I suppose it will do,” she said over her shoulder as she was leaving. “I’ll be back as soon as the test results are back.”

“I like her,” May said, already back to watching Peter.

“Pete does too,” Tony said. “His sass towards me triples every time their together. She’s a terrible influence on him.”

Bucky, Steve, and May huffed a small laugh at this.

The atmosphere dissipated immediately as Peter groaned, nose crinkling in a way that Tony would deny until his dying day that he found sweet.

“Peter,” May half-said, half-asked, leaning forward in her chair.

The sound of his aunt seemed to stir him, and his lashes slowly fluttered open. The four adults could pinpoint the exact moment he remembered that he couldn’t see, as he suddenly thrashed in the bed, heartrate monitor beeping frantically, narrowly avoiding injuring himself or tearing his drip out because Bucky and Steve rushed to each gently grab one his arms.

“You’re safe, kiddo,” Tony hurried to reassure. “You’re at the Compound med-bay. Steve and Bucky are the ones touching your arms to keep you from hurting yourself. Your aunt and I are here, and nobody will hurt you now. You’re safe.”

“Mr S’ark?” the boy slurred.

“Yeah, Pete, I’m right here,” he answered, brushing a lock of brown hair out his eyes as the super soldiers let go of his arms. “May, Steve and Bucky, too.”

“S’dark,” he whimpered, distress high in his voice. “So d-dark.”

“I know, my poor baby,” May whispered, running her thumb over the back of Peter’s hand. “Cho will be back soon and she’ll tell us how long it’ll be until you can see again. I promise it won’t be dark for much longer, sweetheart,” she said, her voice cracking.

Peter released a shuddering breath, and Tony felt his heart clench.

“Ross?” he asked, his voice so small that even Steve with his enhanced hearing had leaned forward to hear him.

“Locked in a cell so secure that even Nat wouldn’t be able to get herself out, and strong enough to withhold the Hulk,” Bucky said, immediately. “You never have to see him again if you don’t want to, I’ll handle it for you. But if you want, when you’re better, you can decide what you want us to do with him. It will be entirely your decision, Peter."

Tony glanced up at him in confusion- they hadn’t discussed what would happen to Ross past that Nat would oversee it until they came to a decision- but Bucky was looking solely at Peter. Steve shook his head, nearly imperceptibly, but Tony took it to mean that they’d talk about it later. He didn’t dwell on the fact that he could interpret Steve’s movements without a second thought. He definitely didn’t dwell on the fact that the blonde was still holding Tony’s vibranium hand between his own two flesh hands.

The teen clenched his eyes shut but nodded. At that moment, Cho returned with a thin file in her hands.

“It’s good to see you awake, Peter,” Helen said, and Peter’s eyes slowly opened again to rest roughly in her direction. May and Tony glanced at each other silently.

“What do the results say?” Steve asked. “Do we know when Peter’s sight will return?”

“I’m going to start with the good news,” she began, “Peter’s blindness is caused by a drug that has paralysed the retinal cells in his eyes- but they are still functional. As soon as the drug is out of his system, the cells will return to their usual function and his sight will return.”

A shaky sigh escaped Peter. “I’ll see again?”

“Yes,” she answered confidently. “Your sight will completely return to you.”

“When?” Tony asked.

The cheeriness in her voice she’d told them the good news in faltered slightly, but she still managed to sound upbeat.

“Unfortunately, we have been unable to identify the exact type of paralytic that was used, so we cannot specify an exact timeframe for Peter’s vision to return.” May opened her mouth to ask a question, but Cho continued before she could ask it. “What we _have_ been able to establish through monitoring how the drug interacts with the vitreous humor is that Peter has received two doses of the drug so far based on remnants of the original dosage deeper within the liquid and a more concentrated quantity on the surface cells. We have pinpointed the second dose to have likely been given today. Do you remember anything being injected or sprayed on you earlier, Peter? It’s perfectly okay if you don’t remember or if you don’t want to talk about it.”

The teen was silent for a moment, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration as he thought back.

“Spray,” he eventually rasped. “Someone sprayed my eyes before they brought me upstairs.”

“Thank you, Peter, that’s really helpful for helping us try to identify the substance,” she said kindly as she scribbled it down in the file.

“This leads us to believe that the spray has a timespan of roughly three weeks without medical intervention before his healing combats it and his sight returns. My team and I are already working on an isotonic saline solution that can be used for gradually reducing the concentration of the foreign drug to speed up this time frame. It should be ready by tomorrow morning at the latest, and following our projected models your vision should be back within the next ten days as long as you use the saline drops twice a day,” Cho explained.

Tony squeezed the kid’s shoulder lightly, happy to see him lean into the touch rather than flinch away. He gently pulled his prosthetic hand out of Steve’s lap and started rubbing soft circles into the kid’s pressure point.

“That’s really good news, Pete,” he said softly, and Peter nodded in agreement, his eyes resting on Tony’s left ear.

“Thank you so much, Doctor,” May said, unceremoniously getting to her feet and hugging the younger woman.

“There’s nothing that we wouldn’t do for this kid,” Cho answered, as the women stepped back and Cho left the room with a small goodbye.

“You hungry, kiddo?” the mechanic asked, remembering the advice Helen had given them earlier: eat nutrient rich foods in small portions three times a day, very slowly building them up over time.

“A little,” Peter said.

“I’ll have F.R.I. get someone to bring it down,” Tony said, knowing that the A.I. would already be relaying his order.

“ _No_! Nobody else!” the teen exclaimed, so unexpectedly loud that Bucky flinched and turned his head away, as though it brought back unpleasant memories. The kid’s chest was heaving in panic. “ _Please_! Nobody else. Please.”

“No problem, Pete,” Tony said, far more calmly than he felt, as the first person to recover from his outburst. “Nobody except the four of us and Cho will be allowed in here, I promise.”

His heavy breathing subsided a little at this idea, and he nodded his head frantically, still murmuring “nobody else” under his breath.

“I’ll go and get it for you, Peter,” Steve offered, and Tony nodded at him gratefully. “Is that okay?”

“Yes,” the teen answered quietly.

“I’ll come too,” Bucky said, his voice oddly strangled. The blonde’s eyes softened with an understanding that May and Tony hadn’t gathered yet as he agreed.

“We’ll be back soon,” Steve said, but whether it was to Peter or the two adults he wasn’t sure.

The door shut silently behind them, and May and Tony turned their undivided attention to helping Peter calm down.

******

As soon as the door to Peter’s medical room closed, Steve pulled Bucky into his arms, feeling his friend’s metal arm fist desperately at the back of his shirt. Painful sounding, half-aborted sobs left the ex-assassin’s mouth, as though he were embarrassed to be showing his distress.

“It’s okay, Buck,” Steve soothed. “He’s going to be just fine, we got him back safe and sound.”

They stood there for a few more moments, Bucky crying steadily into Steve shoulder and the blonde offering words of comfort. When Bucky pulled back, his eyes red and bloodshot, Steve felt his heart break.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Steve asked gently, as they started walking towards the kitchen to make Peter’s meal.

For a second, Bucky was just going to say no and drop the subject, but he knew that his oldest friend wanted him to open up. He shoved a slice of bread into the toaster, and poured half a can of baked beans into a bowl and set the microwave timer.

“He reminds me of myself,” he began, hoarsely. “When I got out of HYDRA, I mean. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t want to be around anyone- especially people I didn’t know. I was scared, Steve, scared of everything because the world is so _big_ and it seemed like it was just . . . _full_ of danger. But Peter’s so young, _so_ young and I don’t- I- I don’t want him to have t-to-“

As much as he wanted to, Steve didn’t move closer or attempt to touch or hug him. He knew Bucky’s coping mechanisms well enough to know that crowding him when he was panicking made it worse, so he tried to calm his panic from an arm’s-length away.

“He’s safe now, Buck. And I hate to admit it, but you were alone when you got away from the people who had been hurting you. Peter has _us_ , and Tony, and his aunt and the whole team- he’s going to be just fine. We won’t let anyone hurt him. As soon as his vision is back he’ll be back up on his feet and webbing around the Compound and driving us all insane again,” he said, keeping his voice calm but insistent.

Bucky sighed deeply. “You’re right,” he said, his breath shaky. “You're always right.”

“Are you alright if I come closer?” Steve asked. He waited for Bucky to nod before he took a step closer and pulled him gently into another hug.

“I hate this,” Bucky muttered, his eyes closed. “Especially when it’s Peter, he’s a good kid.”

“The best kid,” Steve agreed.

“Of course you’d say that,” his friend said, and Steve could practically hear the eye roll. The microwave pinged and the toast popped up a second later, so they separated to grab a tray and glass of water for Peter.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Steve asked, with no heat behind it- just a confused look.

The ex-assassin sighed, and muttered something that sounded a lot like “oblivious” to Steve’s enhanced hearing under his breath.

“Every member of this team and anyone who’s ever spent five minutes in a room with you and Stark knows that you’re both smitten. The two of you are basically that kid’s dads,” he said with a smirk. And as much as Steve denied the truth of his words, seeing that smirk that was so characteristic of Bucky relieved him- he’d take the teasing over the panicking any day.

“That’s not true and you know it,” Steve denied, as they plated Peter’s small meal.

“Is that why May came and asked me if I thought you two were shagging in secret?” Bucky teased.

“ _What_?” Steve sputtered. “What did you say to her?”

“I said yes. Obviously.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope,” Bucky grinned, popping the ‘P’ the exact same way Peter did. “And I’m pretty sure that when Pete’s better she’s gonna ask Tony how serious things are. She’s gotta know if there’s gonna be a third parent in her kid’s life.”

“But Tony and I aren’t- we haven’t- I- _what_ is going on right now?” he asked, desperately. He and Bucky started walking back to the med-bay, Steve carrying the tray.

“What _is_ the deal with you and Stark?” Bucky asked, a level of seriousness that hadn’t been present during their teasing. “You two dating or what?”

Steve shot him a helpless look. “I don’t even _know_. We aren’t, you know . . . dating or anything. But I know he sleeps easier when I’m with him- and I sleep better when I know he’s safe. And I really like spending time with him. I think he likes spending time with me too?”

“Course he does, Stevie,” Bucky said, meaning it.

“You think?” Steve asked, and Bucky knew it was an insecure topic for his friend.

“Yeah. I really, really think so. And don’t think I haven’t noticed the amount you guys are touching. It’s sickening in a nice way. I kinda want to vomit when I see it, but I’m happy for you at the same time. Does that make sense?”

The blonde smiled, and Bucky noticed that it lit up the man’s whole face.

“I’m happy that you’re happy,” Bucky said. “But if he hurts you in any way I won’t hesitate to kill him- make sure he knows that. I didn’t go through decades with HYDRA just to not use my assassin skills on someone messing with my best friend- it has to be good for something.”

“Thanks, Buck. But we’ve not even been on a date.”

Bucky rolled his eyes again as they entered the corridor that led to Peter’s room.

“You know how to fix that? You _ask him_ on a date. As soon as Peter’s better, and you and Tony would be able to cope with leaving him at the Compound with us for a few hours, you just ask him out.”

“D’you think he’d say yes? I wouldn’t want him to feel pressured into saying yes just because he doesn’t want to mess up the team dynamics.”

His friend cuffed him lightly over the back of the head, making sure it wasn’t hard enough to make the tray wobble. “Would I be saying this if I thought he’d say no?”

Steve shot him that smile again.

They arrived outside Peter’s door and Bucky tapped lightly on the door and didn’t open it until confirmation had been given from Tony.

*****

When they entered, Peter’s breathing was even, and he was propped upright with pillows behind him.

“Steve and Bucky are back,” Tony said, to help Peter feel aware of his surroundings. “They’ve got some dinner for you. Are you still up for eating?”

“Yeah,” Peter said with a nod.

“It’s beans on toast,” May said, clearly getting the hint from Tony to keep Peter informed on the things he couldn’t see. “One of your favourites.”

“I can smell it,” Peter said quietly. “And I think that maybe I _knew_ it was Steve and Bucky? From their heartrates, not just because they’re the only other people you’re letting in.”

His voice was full of tentative amazement, and Tony smiled.

“You think you can point at who’s who, Pete?” the mechanic asked as Peter closed his eyes and concentrated.

He lifted a shaky left hand and pointed to the air in front of him, where Bucky stood at the foot of his bed. “Bucky’s there?” Peter said, so uncertainly it sounded more like a question.

“Yeah!” Tony confirmed, excitement clear on his face.

The kid moved his arm to point behind May, at where Steve stood still after having put the tray of food on the small table beside the teen’s aunt.

“And Steve’s there, behind aunt May?”

“Two for two, great job, Pete!” Tony said, pride in the words.

The kid smiled bashfully, and the adults all recognised the importance of it; it was the first sincere smile Peter had had since he’d been rescued.

“Time for some beans on toast, sweetheart?” May asked, a wide smile on her face.

Peter nodded and they made a fuss about sorting his pillows out and making him comfortable. Tony lightly held his wrist and brushed the boy’s fingertips over the glass of water, the plate with the slice of toast, the small bowl with the beans in, and eventually placed the cutlery in his hands.

As the teen slowly but surely worked through eating his dinner, the adults talked about mundane topics like the weather forecast and Bucky needing a haircut to lighten the mood. Over the course of twenty minutes, Peter had finished the toast and nearly all of the beans but wavered when there were a few spoonful’s left. He raised a spoon full of beans, his hand shaking, and a look of discomfort twisted his lips.

“You don’t have to eat it if you’re full, sweetheart,” May said gently. “If you’re hungry later there’s plenty of food you can choose from.”  
The spoon wavered halfway between the bowl and Peter’s mouth, as he warred with indecision. Eventually he dropped the spoon onto the tray, eyes filled with tears as he pushed the tray away from him like it had burned him.

“Oh, _kid_ ,” Tony breathed, his flesh hand shaking as he reached out to move the tray off of the young hero’s lap. “We’re gonna get through this.”

“I was s-so hungry, Mr Stark,” he stammered, “a-and they kept saying you weren’t c-coming and I didn’t kn-know if . . .”

The mechanic’s heart broke, right there and then, hearing Peter doubt that they’d rescue him.

“Peter,” he began, and he saw the kid’s unfocused eyes widen at the use of his full name, “I will always, _always_ find you. This will never happen again, but I need you to know that I’m in this for the long haul, kiddo. I love you too much to ever leave you. Never doubt that, ever.”

The tears fell from Peter’s eyes, spilling over onto his gaunt cheeks and tracking idly down to his chin. 

“Thank you,” the boy whispered as Tony leant over the bed to hug the shaking teen. “And I love you, too, Mr Stark.”

“It’s Tony, kid, we’ve spoken about this,” he said lightly, tightening his arms around the thin frame, but not uncomfortably so for Peter.

“Well, then I love you, too, _Tony_ ,” he murmured, eyes closed.

They stayed like that for a little while, May whispering soothingly into her nephew’s ear as he clung to his father-figure. Bucky and Steve watched on protectively, and the four adults felt safe in the knowledge that nothing would ever hurt Peter again, for as long as they were alive.

When Cho walked in at 3 in the morning, she was met with Steve, May, Tony and Peter all sleeping soundly in their respective chairs and bed, and Bucky watching the door carefully, his flesh hand resting protectively on Peter’s ankle.

“Good morning, Sergeant Barnes,” she greeted, keeping her voice quiet to avoid waking the others up. In her hand were two small eyedrop bottles which she handed to Bucky who eyed them cautiously.

She sighed, knowing that he was a man of few words and was waiting for her to explain. She removed Peter’s IV after triple-checking that his vitals were sufficient before she began explaining.

“These are the isotonic saline solution drops I was talking about earlier,” she said. “My team and I have been working on modifying the concentration of the solution so that it specifically targets flushing the paralytic from the retinal cells without damaging the Ph level of the vitreous humor. We’re still working on identifying the unknown substance but because of the large number of different substances that we’ve located as its key ingredients we still don’t have an answer.”

Bucky blinked at her, confused. She sighed again.

“These drops will bring his sight back within ten days,” she simplified. She yawned loudly. “Make sure he puts them in when he wakes up, and then again before he sleeps. We don’t know what the drug was. Tell Tony to call me if he needs me but I’m going home to sleep now. I’m due back here at 8.”

It was then that Bucky noticed the slump in her shoulders, and glazed over look in her eye. He knew that her shifts were twelve hours, as many doctors worked, and he doubted that Tony had thought to inform her before they went to rescue Peter knowing how he’d wanted to leave immediately. If she’d started at 8am the previous day, and it was 3am now, she’d been so focused on working to help Peter that she’d been working for nineteen hours. No wonder she was exhausted.

“Do you live far?” he asked. She looked at him quizzically, and Bucky instantly knew that she’d mistaken it for small talk. It was fair to say that Bucky wasn’t known for his chatting.

“Only about an hour away,” she answered, not even looking back as she headed for the door.

“Take one of the spare rooms,” he offered. “Save you wasting time travelling home and back.”

She turned to face him in surprise. “Really?” she asked, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

“Yeah, Tony won’t mind.”

“Oh, um. Thank you. See you at 8.”

“See you then,” he said, in place of a goodbye.

The door shut behind her and Bucky went back to watching the door protectively.

When Steve woke a few hours later, it took him twenty minutes to convince Bucky to get some rest, even when he promised that he’d take over watching. The ex-assassin eventually handed him the eyedrop bottles with the instructions Cho had told him and leant back in his chair, one hand still resting on Peter’s ankle. Steve listened carefully until his breathing evened out half an hour later, satisfied that his friend was getting some rest, and watched the door faithfully.

********

When Peter awoke, the dark didn’t catch him off guard as much as it had done previously; it still scared him, living in what felt like a void of nothingness, but when he focused his other enhanced senses he could map out roughly what he was around him.

After the spider bit him, he’d realised just how loud heartbeats were when he paid attention with his super hearing. He tuned into them now, recognising three resting beats to his right. On of the resting beats was slightly slower and he knew that was his aunt, and one was a strong beat even in sleep that had to be Bucky. To his left was the slightly irregular beat that he knew immediately was Mr Stark’s cardiac arrythmia. Before everything at the Raft had taken place, Peter would often wake up with his head resting on his mentor’s chest after they’d both fallen asleep during a movie night; he would know his father-figure’s steady but slightly fluttering heartbeat anywhere. A heartbeat next to Mr Stark was beating quickly, but he knew this was due to Steve’s faster heartrate than due to exertion. He also figured that Steve was the only one awake.

“Steve?” he whispered into the silence.

“Hey, Peter,” he said. “How are you feeling? Are you hungry?”

Peter paused as he took physical stock of his body, the same way he had done in the Raft to inventory his injuries.

“Think m’okay,” Peter answered. “I’m a little hungry though.”

“Cho said that a slice of peanut butter on toast with some fruit would be good for you, think you could handle that?”

The teen nodded and heard the ruffle of Steve’s clothing as he moved a hand towards Peter.

“I’m just handing you a bottle of the solution Helen made,” Steve explained, and Peter took the bottle from him after having patted the super soldier’s wrist by mistake on the first attempt. “She said to put drops in once in the morning, and one before you sleep. Do you want me to put them in now for you? Or do you want to eat first?”

Peter felt gratitude well up inside him that Steve was giving him options to choose from. The young hero’s autonomy had been stripped away for the three weeks that Ross had had him, and he found himself having a renewed sense of awe at getting to choose for himself.

“Food first, please,” he said. “How long have May and Mr Stark been asleep?”

“They fell asleep a little while after you, it’s been about seven hours, but they didn’t sleep too well when you were, um, gone. None of us did.”

“Oh,” Peter said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

Steve’s heart dropped. “No, no, no!” he rushed, still keeping his voice low enough not to disturb the others. “Don’t apologise, never apologise for anything that happened- none of it was your fault. I made sure they both slept as much as I could get them to.”

“Thank you, Steve,” Peter said, seriously. The teen heard the blonde shrug uncomfortably before he realised Peter couldn’t see him.

“Don’t thank me for that, son.”

A beat of silence passed.

“I’ll go get you some breakfast,” Steve eventually said, before rethinking. “Actually I’ll get us all some food. Want me to wake someone up so you’re not by yourself while I’m gone?”  
“Um, could I come with you? I just wanna move about a bit. I didn’t have enough energy in the- in the cell to . . . move about much. Would be nice to get out of this bed,” he asked, his voice shy.

“I’m not so sure that’s-“  
“Please, Steve,” he begged.

The blonde sighed.

“Fine,” he relented, and Peter opened his mouth to thank him, but he continued before the teen had a chance to. “But you have to use a wheelchair. I’m not gonna feel Tony and May’s wrath because I overexerted you the day after we got you back.”

“Okay,” the teen agreed, knowing that if he argued than Steve wouldn’t let him come.

“I’ll be right back with the chair,” Steve said, and Peter heard the door close behind him.

He returned barely a minute later, and Peter heard the steady rolling noise of the wheels against the solid med-bay floor.

“I’m going to pick you up and sit you in the chair, is that okay?”

“Yeah,” Peter said, and it was then that the super soldier realised how few words Peter had been using since he’d returned to the med-bay. It was a result of the kidnapping that seemed to have changed Peter the most, and Steve could have choked on the unfairness of it all.

The young hero felt Steve slide his arms under his knees and round his back, before he was gently placed upright in the wheelchair. The movement of the air around his face let Peter know they were turning and when Steve’s footsteps picked up speed he knew they must have been in the long corridor that wrapped around the corridor and connected the med-bay with the main Avengers living space.

When they reached the kitchen, Steve asked him about the fruit he wanted and started flipping pancakes for the sleeping adults. The conversation was mostly one-sided, with Steve talking about mundane topics like they’d done the night before, and Peter offering short answers when he chose to.

Steve started plating the pancakes, drinks and Peter’s breakfast onto a large tray that Peter was going to hold while the blonde wheeled them back when Tony ran into the kitchen, looking frantic as he immediately knelt in front of Peter and flicked his eyes over the boy’s face.

Peter heard his irregular heartbeat beating wildly, and worry clawed at him.

“Mr Stark?” he asked, and the uncertain, frightened inflection that the older hero heard on his name had helplessness surging through him.

“I’m alright, kiddo, promise,” he said, although his erratic heartbeat suggested otherwise. “Just panicked when I woke up and you were gone.”

A slight click in Tony’s neck told Peter that he was shooting a pointed look in Steve’s direction.

“Steve, we are going to be talking about this later,” Tony said, and although the teen knew that he was trying to sound calm, there was no denying the anger in his tone. Peter felt his muscles freeze at the anger, flashing back to when Ross had forced him to his knees.

“Please don’t be angry, Mr Stark,” Peter said, desperately. “It was m-my idea and Steve said no but I j-just wanted to-“  
“I’m sorry, Pete, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m not angry at you.”

“Steve didn’t want me to come with him!” Peter continued, determined to make Tony understand that Steve hadn’t done anything wrong. “It was my idea!”

Tony sighed wearily, facing Steve again.

“You should have gotten F.R.I.D.A.Y. to tell me where you both were as soon as I woke up. All I knew was that you were both _gone_ and I thought someone had- had-“

Steve hurried to the man’s side, hugging him tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Tony, I didn’t even think about that.”

“It’s fine,” Tony said, but his voice cracking on the last word betrayed him. “Just don’t do that again. _Ever_ , please. Shit, that was awful.”

“I’m sorry, too, Mr S- Tony. I didn’t mean to scare you,” the teen whispered.

“I know, kid. I’m fine now that I know you’re okay.”

Nobody spoke for a few moments, before a small smile graced Peter’s lips.

“Steve made pancakes for everyone,” he said, and he heard Tony’s chuckle as the two men got to their feet.

“Well how can I say no to that?” Tony asked, and was rewarded with Peter’s smile stretching into a full grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it !


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry this is a few days late! i'm currently drowning in uni work and my exams are in 3 weeks so i have so much revision to do :(((  
> there's no way that chapter 7 is gonna be finished and posted on monday but i'm hoping it should be up by next weekend (sorry to be messing up the update schedule)  
> hope you like this chapter   
> TW for panic attacks

The next seven days passed in a similar fashion. Peter stayed in the med-bay for the first four days, but was allowed to move to the room he always stayed in at the Compound on the fifth day- on the condition that he took it easy and let people help him. He agreed reluctantly but knew that he’d rather have help moving around than be stuck bed-ridden in the med-bay.

Helen still came to check his vitals and pupil dilation twice a day, and always quietly took either Tony or May outside his room to discuss developments in his weight recovery and to amend his diet plan. He was now eating three small meals, with at least a snack or two, each day. Peter had heard May try to stifle her cries the first time he’d finished a small meal, and even Tony had been sniffling suspiciously.

On the eighth day, Tony was sitting by Peter’s bedside while he slept. There was a silent agreement that Peter would never have to be alone, so May and Tony halved the day in order to let them both get rest whilst making sure that Peter could always have a guardian with him. Steve tended to spend most of his day helping Tony take care of the teen, making food and running baths so that the mechanic could be by Peter’s side throughout his recovery so far. Bucky came and sat with the teen for at least a few hours a day, in a quickly-becoming-a-habit manner of pretending that he just wanted to talk despite every person living in the Compound knowing that he was mothering Peter just as much as Tony and May did.

For now, though, Peter was sleeping relatively soundly, May had spent an hour talking to Tony before showering and going to bed, and the mechanic was swiping idly at his StarkPad. Between swipes of the screen, his eyes flicked up to Peter’s face, taking in the gradually filling out cheekbones and skin now so unblemished that you wouldn’t have known that he’d been kidnapped and starved just one week ago.

Tony had just signed and submitted some of the forms Pepper had emailed him when Peter bolted upright in bed, eyes wide and frantic as his breathing became short, strained pants.

“You’re safe, Pete. I’m here with you, at your room in the Compound, and nobody will hurt you,” he said, softly but with the certainty the kid needed for him to believe it. It was the mantra they nearly always used when Peter had panic attacks, or nightmares, or curled up in a ball and anxiously rocked himself with his eyes clenched shut. He repeated the sentences a few more times until the teen’s breathing evened out.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” the teen mumbled to himself, his eyes closed as he hugged his knees to his chest.

“Yep,” Tony confirmed. “You’re gonna be just fine, kid. You’re safe here with the Avengers and your aunt.”

He watched as Peter stayed in that position for another minute, and as the kid focused on the breathing techniques they’d taught him for panic attacks and nightmares, pride surged through him. His kid was so damn _strong_. Not just physically, but he could kick the ass of his mental demons, and Tony was in awe of him every day he saw Peter keep a panic attack at bay or guide himself out of the fear that had been overwhelming him.

Eventually, Peter’s lashed fluttered and he lifted his head from his knees. Tony’s chair was located in front of the room’s window and the sun was rising steadily behind him, a gentle golden light filling the room like the sun itself wished to keep Peter protected from darkness. 

“Mr Stark!” Peter shouted, and Tony leapt to his feet in a panic, his gauntlet watch already forming over his hand as he rushed to the kid’s beside. “I can _see_!”  
Relief flooded Tony so overwhelmingly that his knees buckled and he sat heavily on Peter’s bed, a hand resting on the kid’s lower arm as the gauntlet retracted.

“That’s amazing, Pete!” the mechanic exclaimed, smiling widely.

“Well, kind of! Everything’s pretty blurry but I can see light and shadow so I can see you but not, like, in detail. And the sun’s coming in through the window!” the teen rambled excitedly, before he sobered. The smile stayed on his face though, his eyes glistening with relieved tears. “It’s not dark anymore,” he said quietly, a look of amazement on his face.

“Oh, kid,” Tony murmured, his heart clenching painfully in his chest at the awed way his brown eyes were taking in every inch of his bedroom.

They sat in silence for a moment, Peter happily taking in as much of his room and the window as he could.

“I didn’t think my sight would come back,” he admitted, guilt tinging his voice. “I know that Doctor Cho said it would and she’s amazing, but I thought that it would, I dunno . . . just stay dark anyway? It felt like it had been gone for too long, and I was trying t-to get used to it but I just couldn’t. It w-was _dark_ , Mr Stark.”

“I promise you that it won’t ever be dark again, kiddo,” Tony vowed, determination glinting in his eyes. “And I will always, _always_ be here for you. I love you, Pete.”

Peter gasped- the noise somewhere between an exhale and a choked sob, before he flung his arms around Tony’s torso and hugged him tightly. The mechanic saw the teen’s shoulder shaking as he cried and tightened the hug, slipping his flesh hand into the kid’s messy brown curls and holding his head against his chest. It wasn’t the first time he’d told the young hero that he loved him, but every time he said the words aloud, he was reminded of just how true it was.

“I love you too,” Peter said, his voice shaky.

They stayed like that for a long time, before Tony eventually leaned back slightly.

“You hungry?” he asked, and Peter smiled as he recognised it as an attempt at changing the topic to something that _wasn’t_ his emotions. “Want me to order in some waffles?”

“Pancakes?” Peter countered, eyes shining.

Tony ruffled the kid’s curls as he laughed. “Anything you want, kid. You know I can never say no to you.”

“Does that mean I _can_ build myself a suit that’ll turn me invisible?”

“ _Anything_ but that- I don’t even want to imagine the kind of strain my heart would be under if you could turn invisible.”

“You’ll let Scott take me to the quantum realm, then?”

“That’s _it_!” Tony exclaimed, with no heat behind it. “I take it back, I absolutely _can_ and _am_ saying no to you.”

Peter laughed loudly.

*******

Two nights later, Steve was woken from his sleep by F.R.I.D.A.Y. calling for him.

“Captain, Boss is having a nightmare,” she said, when Steve asked her what the hell was going on. Steve was out of bed and through his bedroom door before she’d even finished speaking.

When he reached Tony’s room, he could hear the strained, panicked breathing from within, he hesitated barely a second before knocking on the door and letting himself in.

The mechanic was tangled in his sheets, limbs askew as he whimpered.

“ _Tony_ ,” Steve said urgently, as he made his way closer. “Tony, wake up.”

The man didn’t wake, but he flinched as Steve’s slightly-above-conversational volume reached him. He whimpered again, arms flailing as though defending himself from an unseen attacker.

“Wake up, Tony!” he said, desperation in his voice. He still didn’t touch the man for fear of scaring him further.

The whimpering quieted and the flailing gradually stopped. Silence prevailed as Steve stood next to the large bed and waited for Tony to get his bearings in his own time.

“Tony?” he eventually asked, softly. “I’m sorry for waking you, but F.R.I.D.A.Y. and I figured it would be best to stop your nightmare before you could hurt yourself.”

“Thanks,” Tony answered, his voice hoarse. They both went quiet in the darkness of Tony’s bedroom, neither knowing whether to address the elephant in the room or not.

Steve awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck before he deciding that he didn’t want to leave Tony like this.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he offered, knowing he had offered after one of the man’s nightmares when Peter had been missing and Tony had explained that he still vividly remembered the waterboarding from his time in Afghanistan.

“No,” the mechanic said sharply, the moment the question had finished leaving the blonde’s mouth.

The blonde sighed, not sure how to progress from there. He considered what a private man Tony was when it came to what he viewed as his ‘weaknesses’- even though Steve thought he was one of the strongest men he knew. Maybe he wanted to be alone to recover from the memories that had clearly deeply rattled him.

“I’ll, um, leave you to it then,” he said, the words leaving an acidic taste in his mouth. “You know where I am if you need me for anything, even if you think it’s not important, okay?”

He waited for another few seconds but when it was clear that Tony didn’t want to respond to that, he turned to leave. He’d moved three steps in the direction of the door when the mechanic’s voice stopped him.

“Stay,” he said gently, just one inflection shy of begging. He heard a ruffle of the duvet in the darkness, and knew that Tony was sitting up to face him. “Please, Steve.”

“Of course, Tony. I’m always here for you,” he answered, crossing back across the room. “Is it alright if I-“  
“Yes,” the genius interjected, and there was another movement before the duvet was being held open for Steve to slide in on the other side.

They lay side by side in content silence, Steve staring at the swirling blackness above him, like space without stars.

“It was Peter,” Tony eventually admitted, his voice pained. “Thanos had his hands around the kid’s throat, squeezing. I couldn’t- I-“  
He broke off with a strangled sound, and Steve pulled the man into his arms, tucking him into the warmth of his body.

“It’s alright, Tony, Peter’s safe. You got him back from Thanos, and you saved him from Ross too,” Steve soothed.

The billionaire’s short pants began evening out as Steve continued murmuring reassurances into his ear.

 _Peter’s safe. You got him back. Nobody will ever hurt him again. May and Bucky are with him now so he’s not alone. They’ll protect him. He’ll be okay_.

When the blonde was certain that the other man had fallen into a steady sleep, he finally allowed himself to curl around the genius’ smaller frame and drift off, too.

*******

The next morning was far less awkward than Steve had anticipated. The mornings that they had fallen asleep together when Peter had been missing, the moment they were both awake they were rushing to the conference room to continue the search; there had been no time to acknowledge if there was any awkwardness.

For now though, Steve woke up with a few slow blinks and a sleepy “good morning” from Tony.

The soldier rolled onto his side to face the other man, and he knew there was a dopey smile on his face that he wasn’t awake enough to try and stifle. “Good morning to you, too.”

“Thank you for last night,” Tony said.

Steve rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “You have nothing to thank me for.”  
“I do though,” the billionaire began, “you didn’t have to do that for me.”

Tony’s brown eyes found Steve’s blue eyes, and for a few moments they just drank in the sight of each other.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” Steve said, breaking the comfortable silence. Tony’s breath caught at the weight of the words.

“Why?” he asked, bewildered, not because he knew the reason and wanted Steve to say it out loud, but because he really _didn’t_ know. Why would someone like Steve say such a thing?

Steve just looked at him, before he leaned forward and pressed their lips together. When they finally broke apart- Steve just as shocked as Tony-, a gentle flush on both of their cheeks, the blonde simply said, “that’s why.”

Tony apparently recovered more quickly. “I was hoping so, but I didn’t want to be getting ahead of myself,” he said, as bashfully as someone like Tony Stark could be.

“There’s no pressure,” Steve made sure to say. “There’s a lot going on with Peter at the moment, so I just wanted you to know that we can take this slow. Whatever you need.”  
“You’re sweet,” Tony said with a smile. He leaned forward and pulled Steve into a long kiss.

Minutes passed with the two of them oblivious to the world, lost in the moment of just being _together_ and letting their present fall away. When they came up for air, Steve’s eyes were bright.

“I never thought I’d get to live in a society where I’d be allowed to do this,” the blonde admitted, his chest light in a way that he hadn’t felt for months.

“Well, I for one am _delighted_ that you can,” Tony responded, a smirk on his face and his lips slightly kiss-swollen. “But seriously, Steve, you deserve to be happy and I’m glad that you get to exist in an era where you can be true to who you really are.”

“The things they’d do to the men they caught in a same-sex relationship back when I was growing up . . . “ the super soldier trailed off, pain in his voice.

Tony took his hand and squeezed in it support.

“I’m not saying it’s going to be an easy ride, but we’re in this together. Iron Man and Captain America can kick the homophobes’ asses before they even have a chance to voice their bigoted opinions.”

The genius couldn’t hold back his smile when Steve huffed out a laugh.

“Would you like to get dinner one night, when you feel comfortable enough to leave Peter for an hour or so?” Steve asked, Bucky’s words from their walk with the teen’s dinner playing in his mind.

Tony laced their fingers together. “Yeah,” he said softly, his thumb rubbing circles into the back of Steve’s hand, “I’d like that a lot.”

“It’s a date then,” Steve said, the excitement clear in the words as he smiled brightly. The genius decided, right there and then, that he could look at Steve smiling every second of the rest of his life, and it still wouldn’t be long enough. The blonde was so beautiful it was like Tony was gazing upon something that no mortal man should be able to.

“I don’t want to lie to you,” Tony began, ducking his head a little to avoid looking Steve in the eye, “leaving Pete at the compound isn’t something I even want to think about at the moment. But I do want get dinner with you. It just might . . . be a while.”  
The blonde nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, Tony. Not a moment before.”

The billionaire squeezed his hand again, gratitude clear on his face.

“Thank you,” he whispered reverently.

They kissed again, and the morning passed in the blink of an eye.

By the time it got to noon, F.R.I.D.A.Y. interrupted them as they as they propped up on a mountain of pillows, talking about whatever came to mind.

“This is your reminder that May Parker will be leaving for bed at 12:30 as you both agreed, so that you can sit with Spider-baby.”

“Thanks, F.R.I.,” Tony said, glancing at his watch and then getting out of bed and stretching out his back. He had fifteen minutes to get changed and grab him and Peter some lunch. “Do you want to come with me? You don’t have to.”

“I’d love to,” Steve answered, meaning it, “I’ll just get some clean clothes on. I’ll be back in a minute.”

They met in the kitchen a short while later, both showered and freshly clothed. They made Peter a small lunch of peanut butter sandwiches with some vegetable sticks on the side and headed down to see him.

********

May greeted both men with a tight hug when they entered Peter’s room, and reminded them that she’d be back after she’d slept and eaten. When the door closed behind her, the pair sat next to each other at the teen’s bedside.

“Hey, Pete,” Tony said, smiling, “how’s your vision today?”  
His sight had slowly but surely been returning, and from the day he’d been able to detect light and shadows it had been clearing up steadily. When Tony had left him the night before, Peter had described his sight as a ‘really expensive camera that wasn’t quite focused yet’, before going off on a tangent about lenses and filters tat he’d bought from a charity shop for his -also thrifted- camera.

The teen beamed, looking Tony directly in the eye.

“Almost back to normal! It’s how I saw things before the bite, but Doctor Cho said that I’ll be back to having enhanced vision today!” he rambled excitedly.

“That’s great, kiddo,” the billionaire answered with a bright smile of his own. He squeezed the kid’s shoulder and noted that his eyes were bright and full of life. It eased a tension from his muscles that must have been so ingrained in him during the three weeks Peter had been missing that he’d barely even registered the tightness.

“Is that for me?” Peter asked, looking at the food they’d brought with them. “I’m _starving_.”

“You really _must_ be feeling better, if you’re already back to thinking with your stomach,” Tony grinned. 

Peter gasped and clutched at his chest, laughing. “How could you _say_ that to me, Mr Stark!”

Steve chuckled and handed the tray to the teen, who tucked in without further ado.

Tony and Steve filled the teen in on recent events at the compound as he ate: suit upgrades, staff gossip, R&D projects. They knew it eased his mind to be kept in the loop.

When his plate had been scraped clean and placed back on the table next to his bed, he asked if Tony and Steve would mind walking around with him so he could stretch his legs. After the malnutrition from the Raft, Cho had recommended daily walks and simple stretching exercises to make sure that the muscles returning would be relaxed and functional- needless to say, her instructions had been followed religiously.

Steve and Bucky had been the teen’s primary help when it came to his stretches, helping him bend and flex in all the directions and manners that had been prescribed. At roughly the same pace as his eyesight, the muscles had slowly but surely been returning and strengthening as a result of his improved and high-nutrient meals.

Today, Steve went through the motions of helping Peter stretch out his limbs before they started their walk; Tony pulled out his tablet and had the young hero help him draft a few new projects for R&D as Steve helped him stretch, based on the projects they’d just been talking about. After a rough new design for commercial nano-storage units had been sketched for use as an emergency medical tool that could be kept on every member of the public’s person at all times, they helped the teen to his feet and started their walk.

They ended up talking about inconsequential things like what to eat for dinner, when they found themselves having gravitated towards the gym.

Peter turned wide brown doe eyes on Tony. “Could I train with you? Just for a few minutes? I promise I won’t over-do it!”

The billionaire sighed. “Your aunt would kill me in my sleep if I agreed, kid. Sorry, but no can do.”

“Not even just a few practise punches? I’ll make sure both my feet stay on the floor at all times. _Please_ , Mr Stark,” he begged, and damn it if Tony could never say no to this kid. He also suspected that the teen was asking, at least partially, out of a desire to prove something to himself. Knowing Peter as well he did, Tony was willing to bet a few million that Peter wanted to prove to himself that he was still strong- that he could still look out for the little guy.

“Just a few punches, Pete, I’m serious. Both of those spider-feet are gonna be _firmly_ stuck to the floor, we clear?”

The nod he received in answer was so enthusiastic that Tony was amazed he didn’t pull a muscle.

Steve opened the door and let the other two through first, before taking a seat on the bench next to it, content to just watch Peter and Tony train together.

The first few minutes were fine.

The pair went through easy punches and interwove them with easy defences. There was no immediate cause for concern. After the first few minutes, however, something almost desperate hardened in Peter’s eyes, and the kid’s aim sharpened. He started throwing his fists towards Tony’s exposed side, to Tony’s face, to Tony’s arc reactor scars- all places the teen was normally far to alert to ever try to exploit as the mechanic’s weaknesses. Steve got to his feet, taking a step forward in concern, but Tony seemed to have it under control. Steve hovered in barely-concealed worry as he watched the younger hero let his super-strength bleed into the throws.

Peter started attacking as if on auto-pilot, his eyes empty of anything except the blazing determination that had sprung through a moment ago.

“ _Kid_ ,” Tony started, keeping his voice light even as his watch forming into a gauntlet. He used it to intercept one of Peter’s punches but even so, the strength of the blow was enough to send the billionaire sliding back a few inches on the mat. “At ease, Pete. I don’t have your super-strength.”

Peter’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly, and the hits kept coming just as aggressively.

“ _Pete_ ,” Tony tried again, a trace of panic in the words. The metal of the gauntlet crunched under Peter’s punch, and Tony knew that if his hand had been exposed, there’d have been numerous broken bones in it. “Snap out of it, kid. You’re not there anymore- come back to us. We’re at the Compound, you’re here with me and Steve.”

If anything, the indirect mention of the Raft only served to increase the frenzy of the young hero’s movements, his limbs frantic and inaccurate.

“Peter, stand down,” Steve said, his voice low and steady. There was no response.

Steve rushed forward, grabbing Peter’s extended arm and wrapping it firmly to the teen’s chest so he was bear-hugging him. The teen immediately panicked, struggling desperately against Steve’s arms. Half-aborted whimpers escaped him as his breathing sped up, and Tony couldn’t bear it. One glance to Steve had the super-soldier releasing the young hero, who fell to his knees on the mat with his eyes closed. The teen pulled his knees to his chest, closing his eyes and rocking himself backwards and forwards like a child in search of comfort.

“Peter,” Tony implored, getting to his knees beside Peter’s shaking form. “You’re safe, nobody can hurt you now. Do you know where you are?”  
Peter mumbled urgently to himself, something that Tony couldn’t quite hear.

“He thinks he’s back there,” Steve informed him quietly, his voice thick. “He’s mumbling ‘the dark’, over and over.”

The billionaire felt his heart break.

“Kid, hey, can you look at me please?” Tony asked, gently placing a hand on one of Peter’s knees to draw the teen’s attention. Those big, brown eyes hesitantly opened to meet his, the fear in them almost tangible. “You’re at the Compound, in the gym with me and Steve. You’re safe here, nobody will hurt you. Do you understand me?”  
A slow nod, his eyes slowly focusing on his mentor’s face, as understanding dawned on him. The older pair noticed the tight line of Peter’s shoulders relax a fraction, and then his was unwrapping his arms from his knees.

“Mr Stark?” Peter finally asked, his eyes filling with tears.

“Yeah, kid,” the mechanic answered softly, “you back with us?”

A shaky nod was all he got in response, but he clung to it like a lifeline.

“You did great, kiddo, I’m really proud of you,” Tony said, meaning every word.

“I could have _hurt_ you!” Peter exclaimed, his voice breaking as the tears in his eyes tracked idly down his now-pale cheeks.

The mechanic took the teen’s hands in his and felt Steve place a hand supportively on his lower-back. He took solace in the touch, in knowing that Steve was there for him in this deeper way, now.

“But you didn’t,” Tony pointed out, “you _wouldn’t_.”

“I nearly did,” Peter repeated emphatically, shaking his head.

“Doesn’t matter, Pete. We don’t need to worry about could-have-beens. All that _does_ matter is that even when you were going through a traumatic flashback, you still kept your strength measured and you managed to bring yourself back out of it. You did a really good job,” the billionaire’s voice was earnest, and Peter ducked his head shyly.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice wavering.

“Positive,” Tony confirmed with a smile. “You want to get a hot chocolate and watch a film just the three of us?”

“Yes, please,” the teen answered, his voice quiet like he thought being any louder might break some sort of delicate façade.

They got hot chocolate and curled up together on the couch to watch A New Hope.

Peter was asleep in minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed this chapter, and i'll be back with the next chapter as soon as soon i've managed to finish it between revision/exams/assignments haha!


	7. Chapter 7

Several weeks passed, Peter’s mental and physical progress building upon itself day after day. His eye sight had fully recovered, greeted by more than a few tears from Peter, May and Tony, and Bucky had decided that he would be in charge of helping Peter train to improve his muscle strength beyond Cho’s simple stretches. May had had strict words with the ex-assassin when he’d first proposed the idea to her and Tony, but he had agreed to the ground rules she laid out and had stuck to them. Steve mentioned to Tony that Bucky knew from experience that a key step to recovering from something like this was knowing that you would be able to protect yourself in a similar situation and prevent it from happening again.

There had been no complaints so far.

Bucky and Peter were having their daily training hour and were due back in the kitchen in a few minutes for lunch, leaving May, Tony and Steve at the kitchen island all nursing a cup of coffee.

“So,” Tony began, trying to ignore the tendril of dread curling in his stomach at what they had to discuss, “something needs to be done about Ross.”

May glanced up from her mug sharply at the name. “You said he couldn’t escape his cell here.”

“He can’t. But I think we’d all sleep a little easier if we knew he wasn’t under the same, albeit enormous and extremely well-designed, roof,” the billionaire said. “And I think you’ll agree that we’d both like him as far away from Pete as possible.”  
“Of course,” she agreed, without hesitation. “What are our options?”

“Personally, I’d like to send him to one of SHIELD’s most top secret prisons on the Faroe Islands- no prisoner has ever escaped, and prisoners there are kept isolated and in solitary until the day they die. If you want to send him there, I’ll pull a few strings, see if we can get his cell kept pitch black until the end of his days.”

A wicked grin crossed May’s face. “Let’s see how _he_ likes the dark.”

Tony met her grin with one of his own, his eyes glinting. He and May had become good friends throughout this, despite the situation, and it was nice to have someone who could relate to having their whole world revolve around Peter Parker.

“I’ll see to it myself,” he promised. He paused for a moment, unsure how to continue. Steve seemed to notice his struggle and stepped in for him.

“Before Ross is moved from the Compound, we wondered if Peter might have anything he wanted to say to him. Maybe show Ross that he lost so that Peter can get some closure, but we didn’t want to ask him without running it by you first,” Steve explained, in that beautifully diplomatic, self-aware manner that Tony loved.

May nodded slowly as she considered it. “Well thank you for telling me first, but I’ll support him no matter what he chooses. He deserves to have the option if he feels it would help his recovery.”

Steve smiled. “I thought you might say that. Do you want to ask him when he’s finished training, or wait until tonight?”

“No point delaying it. I’ll ask him when he’s back so we can all be here for him,” she said.

The two men nodded in agreement and chatted about Peter’s new dietary plan for a few minutes until Peter and Bucky came walking in. The teen’s cheeks were flushed slightly from the exertion and Bucky had a soft smile on his face as they greeted the three other adults and started making lunch.

When the five of them were sitting in front of a plate of sandwiches with a bowl of salad being passed around, May cleared her throat.

“So we wanted to ask you something, sweetheart,” she started, Peter turning slightly in his chair to look at her, “but whatever you answer, that’s completely valid and we will all support you.” Peter tilted his head like a puppy, his brown eyes round in confusion as he waited for her to continue. “Ross is going to be moved to secure facility, but before he leaves we thought that we’d give you the option to speak to him. There’s no pressure and expectation on you to do this, it’s entirely up to you.”

The teen flinched minutely, dropping his gaze to the table. Next to him, Bucky had tensed as if preparing for a fight and Steve’s eyebrows furrowed in worry.

“I think I’d like to talk to him,” he eventually said, soft and pensive.

“I’ll get that sorted for you then, kid,” Tony answered, a hint of pride in his voice. “We’ll be shipping him out tonight, so would you rather see him soon or later before he goes?”

“Later,” the teen decided, not meeting their gaze. “There’s something I wanna say to him.”

“You want me and May to come with you, Pete?” Tony asked. “And we won’t be offended if you say no or just want one of us.”

May nodded in agreement, taking a bite of her sandwich to return some normalcy to the situation. The teen’s shoulders hunched in.

“Can Bucky come?” he asked quietly, his lower lip trembling. Bucky’s eyes widened in surprise- something that didn’t happen often to an ex-assassin- as he glanced across the table to see Steve smiling encouragingly at him.

“Of course I’ll be there if you want me, pal,” Bucky said, but felt relieved nonetheless when May squeezed his shoulder in support of her nephew’s decision.

“Robocop’s a good choice,” Tony agreed. “I know you’re strong kid, don’t get me wrong, but I like knowing that someone well-trained will be in with you, too.”

Some of the tension in Peter’s shoulders eased as his guardians accepted his choice. He wanted someone with him that could protect him if he froze up, but that would also understand having been a captive and being confronted with the captor.

“Thank you, guys,” the teen said, a small smile pulling at his lips. “I’m still starving though; can we go back to eating?”

Steve chuckled as Tony leaned across the table to ruffle the kid’s hair playfully.

\--------------

Later that day, Steve and Tony were sitting on the billionaire’s large bed, their hands clasped tightly as Tony tried to steady his breathing with Steve counting him through it. The thought of Peter being near Ross again – _of Peter being in the same_ room _as Ross_ \- had his heart rate accelerating dangerously, and his breaths had been coming in short, uneven gasps.

“Peter’s going to be just fine, Tony,” Steve soothed after a few minutes of counting him through the breathing exercises, rubbing his thumb over the back of the man’s hand. “He’s back to nearly-full strength and Bucky won’t let anything happen to him.”

The billionaire’s eyes met his, the raw vulnerability there easing slightly at the certainty on Steve’s face; if the blonde promised him that nothing bad would happen to Peter today, then he believed him. He trusted Steve with anything.

A small voice in the back of Tony’s head argued that once Ross was gone for good, he might be comfortable enough to leave Peter long enough for the pending date with Steve.

“Are you ready?” Steve asked gently. Tony nodded and slowly got to his feet.

“Bucky said he’d meet us down there to give you and May some time to make sure Peter’s still up for doing it,” the super-soldier said.

“We’re meeting May and Peter in the common room in a minute.”

“Alright, let’s go meet them,” Steve said, and they made their way to the common room.

Sure enough, the aunt and nephew were sitting next to each other, a smile on May’s face that didn’t quite reach her eyes and Peter’s hands trembling slightly from where he held a small piece of paper.

“Hey, kid,” Tony greeted as he took the seat on Peter’s other side, Steve sitting next to him, “do you still want to do this?”

The teen nodded, his face a shade paler than normal. “Yeah,” he said quietly. It was unnerving, seeing the energetic teen so solemn.

“Do you know what you’re gonna say?” Tony asked, his voice the special type of gentle he only ever used for Peter. The teen finally looked him in the eye, silently handing him the sheet of paper he’d been holding. The three adults decided not to mention how badly his hands were shaking as he passed the note to the mechanic.

Tony glanced down and read the few sentences that Peter had scrawled across the paper, the handwriting was neat in comparison to the teen’s usual scribbles- his mind normally producing words faster than his hand could keep up with. When he got to the bottom he took Peter’s hand in his flesh one and squeezed lightly.

“That’s really great, kid, I couldn’t have put it better myself. Are you ready to join Bucky downstairs?”

Peter nodded. Tony forced a smile to his face and stood up, hoping he looked confident enough to calm Peter’s nerves. He, Steve and May waited for Peter to slowly start walking towards the elevator. The last thing they wanted to do was panic him or make him face this before he was ready.

When the doors opened again on the sub-level basement, Bucky was leaning against the wall opposite them with his lips set in a grim line. When he glanced up and saw them, Tony saw the same forced smile he was wearing suddenly mirrored on the ex-assassin.

“Hi,” Peter said quietly, as they walked up to Bucky. “Are you still okay to come in with me? You don’t have to, i-if it would be too much after everything that’s happened to you.”

The ex-assassin looked at Peter like he was insane, a small grin on his face as he placed his metal hand gently on the boy’s shoulder.

“Of course I’m gonna come in with you, pal. I want to support you,” Bucky reassured, and some of the tension seemed to drain out of the teen. “Besides, I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on Ross ever since he’s been here.”

Peter gave him a shy look. “I don’t want to hurt him. Is that okay?”

“Anything you want, Pete,” Tony answered, having guessed that this would be Peter’s wish.

“As much as I’d like to see him hurting as much as he hurt you, you’re too good to stoop to his level, sweetheart,” May added.

Peter shrugged and then pulled Tony and May into a group hug. “I love you both,” he whispered, and May’s heart lurched.

“We love you too, honey.”

As the three hugged, Bucky pulled Steve slightly away from them, his mouth etched into a serious line.

“Peter may be too good to want to hurt him, but I’m not,” Bucky said, matter of factly. “I want him to pay for what he did, Stevie.”

The blonde glanced over to where Tony was talking quietly to May and Peter as the teen held them close, remembering what he and Tony had been talking about a few days ago.

“Me too. And I know that May and Tony do, too. But Peter doesn’t want us to.”  
“I’ll honour that- of course I will. I’m just saying that what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him,” Bucky replied with a mischievous smirk that reminded Steve so acutely of how he’d been before HYDRA that it nearly brought him to his knees.

“There’s some time between when Peter’s going to leave and when Ross is being taken away. I’m sure Tony could turn a blind eye to whatever happens in his cell for that time,” Steve said, with a pointed look at Bucky.

“A few minutes is all I need,” the ex-assassin grinned, using his metal hand to crack his flesh knuckles. Steve couldn’t help but grin back, the righteous anger that had been burning through him ever since Peter had been taken quelling slightly at the thought of Bucky exacting revenge.

“You ready, Robocop?” Tony said. Peter was anxiously scuffing the toe of his shoe against the metal flooring.

“Yeah,” Bucky answered, before looking Peter in the eye. “If you want to get out at any point just tell me or tap me or something- don’t force yourself to stay just because you feel like it’ll make you any less strong. The fact you’re going in at all is so brave of you, Pete.”

May and Tony shared a glance before both blinking at Bucky like he was a stranger; Tony wasn’t sure he’d ever heard the ex-assassin sound so kind before, and this was definitely in his top ten longest utterances since he’d been released from treatment in Wakanda.

“Thank you,” Peter said, his voice more confident that it had been all day. The teen tipped his chin up a little, before turning to the door with Bucky at his side. Tony, May and Steve made their way to the monitoring room so they could keep an eye on what was happening and being said. They’d asked Peter for permission to, not wanting to infringe on whatever sense of privacy the kid had wanted when he’d asked for only Bucky to accompany him, and Peter had insisted that it was fine for them to watch.

May took a shaky breath as they turned on the monitors, and Steve pressed a quick kiss to Tony’s knuckles to remind him that he wasn’t alone.

\---

Bucky’s mind was focused solely on Peter and making sure the teen was handling the situation safely- he didn’t let his thoughts wander to the smirking man cuffed to the table in the middle of the room. As he did every time he entered new surroundings, his training kicked in and he scanned the room for any method through which Ross could escape. The walls and ceiling were thick vibranium, built to hold all manner of powerful enemies, the light coming from a single spotlight heavily bolted into the ceiling’s centre. The only other furnishing was the table- Bucky presumed this was also made of vibranium- and a shoddy wooden chair that Stark had obviously only put in the room to remind Ross that he had no chance of escaping regardless of the room’s materials.

Peter was stood stock-still at his side, his shaking nearly imperceptible now that he was in front of his ex-captor.

“Well, well, well,” Ross drawled, “look who it is.”

The teen flinched, before scrunching the page he had written into his pocket. He suddenly felt ashamed to come face-to-face with this man and follow a script.

“You hurt me,” Peter said simply, his voice surprisingly strong. Bucky felt pride surge through him. “But now you’re going away, for a really, really long time.”

“The government won’t let you get away with this. I’ve had no trial,” Ross snarled, and the ex-assassin had to force himself to stay where he was instead of punching the smug look straight off the man’s face.

 _Peter didn’t want to see Ross hurt_ , he reminded himself.

“The Avengers have been allowed to give their own justice since the government didn’t help them stop you. And you know the best part?”

Ross stayed silent, glaring at Peter like he could pierce straight through his skull with a look. Bucky felt the need to step in front of the teen and defend him like an incessant burning under his skin. When it became clear that Ross wasn’t going to respond, Peter continued.

“There _is_ no evidence that the Avengers have an ulterior motive. They just want to help people. You were never going to find anything on the servers except suit designs and phone numbers.” A grin stretched across the teen’s lips, and his voice lowered patronisingly. “You got yourself into this mess over _nothing_.”

Ross’ fists clenched and he slammed them against the table with a resounding _thud_ as his face flushed an angry red.

“Every night I’ll think about you begging for help and your pathetic heroes leaving you in my care for _weeks_ , little spider,” he spat, before his voice rose in hysteria. His threats fell in an uncontrollable surge, and Peter’s shaking increased with each threat. “I’ll plan every possible way to have my people get their hungry little hands on your aunt! I’ll have them drop a _building_ on your precious Stark! I’ll have them turn Barnes back into a mindless killing machine! _You will regret this_.”

“That’s _enough_ ,” Bucky ordered, taking a menacing step forward as he tried to ignore the fearful pit in his stomach at Ross’s final threat. “You will never hurt Peter or his family ever again.”

Between one blink and the next, Peter had raised his right arm and fired a short burst of web fluid at the Ross’s mouth, muffling his words to indistinguishable nonsense. 

“Listen to me, Ross,” Peter demanded, his eyes dark and serious in a way that Bucky had never seen before. “I _won_. You tried to break me and you _didn’t_ \- because _I’m stronger than you_. Enjoy living the rest of your life in a dark cell.”

Peter grabbed Bucky’s metal arm and promptly exited. As the door was closing behind them, the teen made sure to flick the light switch.

He left Ross behind in the suffocating darkness of the cell.

\---

Tony, May and Steve were already waiting for them, horrified looks on their faces. When Peter and Bucky emerged, May ran over and pulled her nephew into a hug.

“You did so well, sweetheart. I’m so proud of you,” she praised, and Peter’s eyes slipped closed at the words. Tony grabbed Steve’s hand, looking at the blonde with eyes full of relieved tears.

_Peter had done it._

“Thank you for going in with him, Barnes. I’m glad he’s got you in his corner,” Tony said, meaning every word.

Bucky shrugged awkwardly. “I didn’t do anything.”

Tony rolled his eyes good naturedly, and Steve clapped his friend on the back with a bright smile.

Peter broke away from May, turning to find Tony and then wrapping his arms around the billionaire tightly.

“Thank you for trusting me to do this,” the teen said, and Tony huffed out a self-deprecating laugh.

“This was nothing to do with me, kid,” he answered, smiling, “this was all you. You were so brave to face him, and so strong with how you handled him. I’ve never been prouder.”  
May took Bucky by the arm and led him a few paces away, just out of Peter’s enhanced earshot.

“Steve mentioned you wanting a few unsupervised minutes with Ross?” she half-asked, and Bucky nodded.

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this. I know that when you were with HYDRA, you had to do a lot of bad things for them,” she said, so kindly that Bucky wasn’t filled with the same guilt- despite Steve badgering him about him having been the biggest victim of HYDRA’s actions- he usually was when he thought of his violent past. “I’m not telling you what to do, and I’m _definitely_ not saying that he doesn’t deserve this, but please don’t do it if you aren’t completely comfortable with it.”

The genuine worry in her voice only solidified his decision.

“I promise that I want to do this. Ross deserves to be hurt, and I want to be the one to hurt him.”

May smiled knowingly at him. “It’s hard not to love Peter,” she said, with a pointed look.

Bucky shrugged, “I guess he grows on you.”

She chuckled warmly, pulling Bucky into a hug slowly to give him time to move away if he wasn’t comfortable with the contact.

“Welcome to the family,” she said, and Bucky’s heart felt the lightest it had in years.

\---

A little while later, the four adults and Peter were dishing out the Chinese takeout that Tony had ordered in celebration of the teen’s bravery. Tony had shot Bucky an approving look as he’d entered the kitchen, his hair slightly damp from the shower he’d taken to wash Ross’ blood off. The billionaire felt peace for the first time in months.

They picked up their drinks and clinked them together, the knowledge that Ross would never see the light of day, and seeing Peter beaming so brightly at them making nothing else matter.

“Cheers!” the teen exclaimed, his smile growing when the adults all echoed the sentiment.

They tucked into the food, telling old stories and laughing throughout. Peter was more talkative that night than he had been since they’d rescued him, and warmth blossomed in Tony’s chest at the sight.

\---

Steve and Tony fell back onto their pillows, sweating and breathless but happiness radiating from them. The blonde pressed a playful kiss to Tony’s cheek and then entered the bathroom, reemerging a few seconds later with two damp cloths to help them clear up the mess they’d made.

“So,” Tony began, a smirk in his voice, “about that date you mentioned- what did you have in mind?”

Steve looked up in surprise. “Anything you want, Tony. Are you sure you’d be alright to leave Peter?”

“I think so. Ross is never gonna see the light of day again, and May and Barnes won’t let anything happen to him, so I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to leave for a few hours.”

“If you’re sure,” Steve said, his eyes bright. “And I want to take you on a picnic.”

Tony hummed approvingly. “That sounds nice. I could hire out Central Park for it.”

The blonde rolled his eyes humorously, muttering “of _course_ you’d suggest that” under his breath. At normal volume, he continued. “ _Or_ ,” he said, with a pointed look, “we could make some sandwiches and go to Central Park like a _normal_ couple.”

“There’s nothing normal about us, babe,” he grinned.

Steve shrugged. “I think we’ve earned some normality.”

Tony’s eyes softened, and he took Steve’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “That sounds great. I want some normal, too.”

\---

The next day, a blonde and a brunette were sat on a tartan blanket in Central Park sharing a small stack of home-made sandwiches and a box of bite-size brownie pieces, laughing together for hours as they people-watched.

\---

The day after that, national news outlets excitedly reported the return of Spider-man. The hero swung between high-rise buildings, stopping muggings and helping the elderly across the road. Alongside this story was the news that Iron-man would be joining him on patrol for the foreseeable future, the pair working together seamlessly.

The people of New York hung ‘welcome back’ notes in their windows for him to see as he swung past their homes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh i cant believe its finished! i hope you all enjoyed it and i'll seee you soon with more fics when my exams are finished <333

**Author's Note:**

> hope u liked it!  
> i'm not gonna say that comments and kudos keep me motivated for writing, but comments and kudos definitely keep me motivated for writing <3


End file.
